FBI Issues Warning Over Friendly Facebook Scams
by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Oct 6th 2009 at 7:23PM

The disturbing evolution of the 419 scam from e-mails from Nigerian princes to hijacked Facebook accounts is raising serious alarms within law enforcement circles. We originally reported this new tactic in January, but users still haven't caught on. Just last month a Missouri woman was taken for $4,000 by a scammer posing as a friend on Facebook, and the 'Today Show' recently aired a segment about Sister Erma, a nun, whose Facebook was hijacked and used to dupe her friend Debbie Peterson in to handing over $3,000.

The scam starts with spam messages that contain malcious links. People careless enough to click on these links, like the previously mentioned CooooL Video and FBAction messages, are either led to fake Facebook log in pages that steal your e-mail and password, or are infected with a keylogger that captures all of your usernames and passwords across several different sites. Once the scammers have collected this information they begin sending messages to friends and family of the hijacked account claiming to be in trouble -- in most cases stuck traveling abroad. The messages claim that the person has lost his or her wallet or been mugged and needs a loan (of several thousand dollars) to pay off hotel bills.


The scam has become prevalent enough that the FBI saw fit to issue a warning last week about the threat. In a press release, the Bureau cited reports from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) that the number of hijacked accounts reported has increased dramatically. There have been only 3,200 cases reported since 2006, but we're sure at least as many (if not significantly more) have gone unreported to the IC3. The FBI provided a simple list of safety tips for avoiding becoming the next anecdote on Switched about someone losing thousands of dollars.

And remember our advice -- if you think your account has been hijacked, immediately warn your friends and family. Or if you find yourself on the receiving end of a plea for financial assistance from a Facebook pal, exercise some skepticism and confirm their identity before wiring any money. Then, please report the incident to the IC3. [From: Today Show, FBI, MSNBC]
http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=489673&pid=489672&uts=1254869669
http://cdn.channel

@epi how now, long time no see u in continue the story. this story is sobering.i have been trying to break in to doing business online and i know how pple RUN when they hear that you are nigerian and this is just one more frustrating story for me. these pple have smeared the legitimate ones with mud. i think i will get involved in cleaning up the name of this nation starting by exposing them on nairaland as i find them.

SUCKS to be a NIGERIAN!!

I'm sure Nigerians are getting a kick out of this.

Where is our dear Dora when she is needed?? I mean the FBI is hear accusing Nigerian Scammers of being liers, just as SONY did only last month. There ought to be a call to Ban the FBI and other law enforcement agencies for this move. We need to BOYCOTT the FBI for this insult. LONG LIVE NIGERIA!!

MandingoII:

I'm sure Nigerians are getting a kick out of this.

Nice to see your lights are back on.

Kobojunkie:

Where is our dear Dora when she is needed?? I mean the FBI is hear accusing Nigerian Scammers of being liers, just as SONY did only last month. There ought to be a call to Ban the FBI and other law enforcement agencies for this move. We need to BOYCOTT the FBI for this insult. LONG LIVE NIGERIA!!

"sigh" this is funny. i laugh and i cry

Kobojunkie:

Where is our dear Dora when she is needed?? I mean the FBI is hear accusing Nigerian Scammers of being liers, just as SONY did only last month. There ought to be a call to Ban the FBI and other law enforcement agencies for this move. We need to BOYCOTT the FBI for this insult. LONG LIVE NIGERIA!! 

There's a difference between a security agency warning their clients about Nigerian fraudsters and a profit oriented company dishing out a derogatory advert for the purpose of making money.

Not saying that boycotting every little thing is the solution.

How can FBI be boycotted?

guys kobojunkie was speaking tongue-in-cheek of course u cannot boycott the FBI.

Desperados,the options are running out and it is becoming really petty.

@Trekkie

I think you must be very mad! Your lies will certainly get you into trouble very soon!

To start with, don't you EVER prey on Nigerian's gullibility to think you can whip up stupid sentiments by making them believe you are trying to protrect their interests. You are just a cheap liar and a crook!

To all those who will be reading this, let me tell you my reasons for attacking the poster.

First, you "claim" you got someone in Ghana who knew the address and found it to be fake. BIG LIE!! The address is genuine, valid, and operational! Did you also get someone to check the address in UK too? Did the person also tell you that was fake too? I can't even begin to comprehend why a man who claims so much morals will lie so loudly and so blatantly in the face of truth.

Secondly, a training package is being offered for $150 via Liberty Reserve or N27,000 via bank deposit. Have you or anyone paid for the training package and did not get it? Because I have paid and I have commenced the training in earnest. And I got my information from here in NAIRALAND.

Lots of others have been involved from the onset and none is yet to complain except you who is "relying" on a third party information from a liar just like you. Or maybe you paid the person and he had to give you a response that is "palatable" to you.

What joy do you derive from tarnishing people's image? Is it because membership in NAIRALAND is anonymous and you know you can hide from the law that you commit these kinds of crime? Please you just dare to put your true names and address on this post and see if you won't be taken to court for defamation!

Your action is condemnable, despicable and irritating!

While users of this forum will appreciate a honest investigation and a candid opinion about claims; it is only natural that such investigations should be thorough, objective and without bias!

What you have done here lacks those qualities and is extremely regrettable.

To Mr. Seun, let me commend you for your forum. But if you do not prevent posts such as this one with incomplete research and a strong condemnation of an otherwise legal business, then you will be courting suspension of this service in the very near future.

Nairalanders, the poster of this thread MUST prove his claims to you all and he must be banned from this forum unless he can produce the following:

a. A police report with proof that Vanubian Technologies is not a legally registered company in Ghana.

b. A single person who has paid for the Vanubian VA Starter kit who was not given the package in its entirety.

c. The contact details of the person who told him he found the company's address in Ghana to be fake.


Several law firms have been contacted on this matter and a case is being prepared. There are lots of people who have been doing this sort of thing hiding under the cloak of nairaland, promoting their stupid image at the detriment of others. But this is one time too MANY.

Every single advert or post here in nairaland must be let to run unless there are valid reasons not to let them. Its not for a no-do-good jobless person who cannot afford to pay his training fees to let his ugly mouth run like expired tap water.

GNLD originated from Ghana, and was well received in Nigeria. Thousands of Nigerians lives have been saved, thousands more have been improved upon by this company. They asked for over N40,000 in registration fees. Those who could afford, did. Those who could not, took faith. If people like stupid-man TREKKIE aka the poster of this thread was around this company would have been condemned before it took off here in Nigeria.

Forever Living came and achieved greater success than GNLD. But they both operated in harmony till this day. One never slandered the other.

Or is it TIANSHI, that invited the former president and his late wife to one of their leadership events? Could TREKKIE have called them fraud and gotten away with it then?

Enough is enough! Nairaland should be rid of people like this who want cheap popularity by slandering others and then trying to make it seem they are helping the general public by policing claims here.

You have not heard the last of this matter.

here the fbi and other security agents keep talking about nigerian fraudsters true, nigerians do not deny that we do not have fraudsters, that is what makes us better than they are, the fbi are denying and telling the world that the us has no fraudsters,well as a matter of fact they do they are just better at hiding it than we are

The accounts hijacking did not directly point at Nija. Nija was only used as an example in the beginning of the article.

Glad you realize that too.

Can a nigerian be so dumb and illiterate to even think that FBI can be boycotted. What a pity.

This is one of the problems in Nigeria today - people don't know how to read anymore!

I read the tips given by the FBI. Newsflash! No mention was made of "Nigeria" or even "419", yet some posters have created the impression that the FBI mentioned Nigeria in this press release.

Switched.com mentioned "Nigerian princes", but the FBI did not!

If you need a remote controlled key logger software for PC or mobile phone, send an email to sales@hotlemsecurityshop.com with your specific needs. A custom keylogger that will bypass any anti-virus can be yours at a fair price.