In her email to us Tracy explained why she was cautious about believing it really was her Facebook friend, and resisted clicking on the link:
"I was suspicious because it's the only time she's ever tried to talk to me, she doesn't appear to use FB much, she never responded to my "how are you doing?", and I am convinced that if she did try to talk to me the wording would have been more literate, having known her back in school. Then when I ask her the test questions she just goes off line. Hmm."
So, just what was going on?
Well, Tracy's friend's Facebook account has most likely been hacked, and scammers are using it to spread spam messages. Their hope is that by contacting users via the instant chat feature they might be able to trick more people into clicking on their links.
And seeing as the scammer didn't reply to the "how are you doing?" message from Tracy, it's possible that the messages are using an automated script.
And if you did click on the link, in this example, you would have been taken to a webpage purporting to be the "International High IQ Society". A popup message on the page states:
An IQ Challenge was sent to you from:Hazel Phillips
Think you can beat them?
[Accept/Decline buttons]
If you click accept, you are redirected through a number of different webpages. When we tried it, we ended up on a website called FlirtyMob.
which describes itself thus:
..FlirtyMob is a subscription service. Until you opt out, you have unlimited access to the chatroom charged 3GBP every 7 days plus operator standard data charges. To opt out..
Of course, it's very possible that FlirtyMob is not behind the abuse of Facebook users' accounts and is not aware of the spamming that has taken place. Indeed, if you clicked on the link from another part of the world you might have been taken to an entirely different website. Perhaps the spammers are earning affiliate commission from driving traffic to sites such as FlirtyMob.
It could have been worse, of course. We've seen examples in the past where Facebook users receive messages seemingly from friends stranded overseas, asking to have money wired to them as they have lost their passport, wallet and air tickets.
Fortunately, if you have your wits about you like Tracy did you'll be able to quickly tell if a message which arrives out of the blue from a Facebook friend should be treated with suspicion. Hopefully her friend will also realise to better protect her Facebook account in future, too.
So treasure your memories of making root beer as a child at school - you never know how useful they will be one day.
If you're a member of Facebook don't forget to join the Sophos Facebook page to stay up-to-date with the latest security news and Facebook threats.
UPDATE: DirecTV has given Consumerist its side of the story.
_________________
For years, DirecTV has been advertising its "refer your friends and get $100" promotion. But for one DirecTV customer in Florida, that referral didn't end up profiting her; in fact, it ended up draining her bank account after that friend passed away.
The woman referred her friend to DirecTV a few months ago, but when that friend died unexpectedly, DirecTV debited at least $800 — without notifying her — from her bank account to pay for her late friend's unpaid service.
"I was never told of this," she told the NBC affiliate in Jacksonville. "I didn't see any of this. I never signed for this. I was blindsided. I have no record of this....
"I have a sick child at home that I couldn't afford to buy her Pedialyte... I had to ask for help from family. I had to get money for gas to get to work today, and DirecTV hasn't offered anything."
There is nothing in the DirecTV terms and conditions that ties a referrer's account to anyone they refer to the company. But the customer says that all her phone calls, letters and faxes to DirecTV failed to get her an explanation or refund.
It wasn't until after the local TV news got involved that she got any sort of response from DirecTV, who wrote, "This is definitely not part of DirecTV's policy. If a customer refers a friend, they are not responsible for making payments on their friend's account."
Eventually, she received a call from the company's president, who told her that DirecTV would be refunding all the money that was taken from her account. The next day it was back safely in her bank.
We've reached out to DirecTV to see if anyone there can explain what caused this huge error and will update if we get a response.
DirecTV Bills Woman After Friend Dies [News4jax.com]
Thanks to Jeff for the tip!
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