Facebook Scammers Target The Gullible And Curious

Facebook Hackers Strike With Success

As the world’s largest social media network, Facebook is the top target for scammers, viruses and hackers. Facebook invests millions into its security, but general public opinion would probably say that this still isn’t enough; personal data simply isn’t private or protected. There is a certain unwritten mutual agreement between Facebook and its users that one’s privacy is sacrificed for the privilege of using the network – when it comes to malicious scams and hackers however, this is quite a different security issue; be warned and read on.

A Facebook app offering to change the colour of your Facebook profile page and header is scamming users and hacking into their accounts and computers. The virus masquerades as a downloadable ‘colour changer’ app which promises to offer users a choice of nine other colours if they click on the link, which leads them to a phishing site…at which point the hackers implant viruses and malicious codes into the victim’s Facebook account, associated apps and computer.

Internet security firms Cheeta Mobile and Bitdefender have warned users against clicking on suspicious links or downloading unknown apps. The scam has infected over 10,000 computers across multiple countries so far. The cybercriminals can gain access to a user’s friend list and personal information, which is followed by attempts to infect the computer or device with malicious software – PC users are offered the option of a pornography video player whilst mobile users are shown a scare message that claims their device is infected with viruses and so should install anti-virus software…which instantly installs viruses on the user’s device.

Users who have fallen for the virus scam are advised to uninstall the ‘Facebook colour changer’ app and immediately change their password to limit further access to personal information or online fraud.

According to Bitdefender, the most popular malware scams on Facebook this year are the supposed Rihanna sex tape, an app that shows you whose been looking at your profile and the most recent colour changer scam.

Here’s their list of the top ten Facebook scams, showing the percentage that each scam counts for:

1. Total profile views/visitors – 30.20%

2. Change your Facebook Color/Colour – 7.38%

3. Rihanna sex tape with her boyfriend – 4.76%

4. Check my status update to get free Facebook T-shirt – 4.21%

5. Say goodbye to Blue Facebook – 2.76%

6. Unsealed. We are giving them away for free – 2.41%

7. Check if a friend has deleted you – 2.27%

8. See your top 10 profile peekers here! – 1.74%

9. Find out how to see who viewed your profile – 1.55%

10. Just changed my Facebook theme. It’s amazing – 1.50%


Clicking on any of these links will lead users to sites that try to install viruses. It’s a familiar story, so why do people continue to fall for online scams and hackers? It seems it’s simply in our human nature. The scams appeal to the same curiosity and vanity that the social network itself taps into – we’re eager to know who’s been looking at our profiles, want to know how many views we have, present the best and newest version of our pages.

The majority of internet users with an ounce of common sense have learnt to be cynical about unknown links and apps – you wouldn’t accept a drink or a lift home from a total stranger, so why would you take this approach online? The threat is real however; Facebook has over 1.32 billion active users and this gargantuan size makes it an obvious target for virus developers and hackers hoping to gain access to gullible users’ information and personal details.

Katie Rowley

Recent graduate and now interning as content editor, when she's not writing articles Katie can quite likely be found festival-ing, holiday-ing or reading a book (dedicated English student that she is). Follow her @KatieAtSMF.

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