There’s a new Facebook scam spreading mechanism in town: fake page admin notifications

Mechanism:The scammers create a fake Facebook page and a customized tab. In the customized tab, which they set as a landing page (meaning that this is where the user will get to when clicking the link) they implement a redirect functionality. To advertise this page, the scammers will add various Facebook users to its admin list page. When users are made admins of a Facebook page, they will be notified about that in the Facebook notification area and through an e-mail.
Upon receiving the respective notification, users will be curious to click the provided link precisely because they do not know that page or remember ever taking any action with a view to becoming its admin. When landing on the fake Facebook page, they will be redirected to another malicious webpage. In the variant we identified, the malicious page is used to collect victims’ personal data (e-mail address and shipping address).

1. Message displayed on the malicious page used for the illicit collection of personal data
Why it’s interesting: the scam uses two Facebook specific spreading mechanisms which ensure high visibility: notifications and direct e-mail.

2. Notification used in the scam dissemination process
The main social engineering elements in this case are: 1. getting users curios about why they were made admins of a page (apparently it’s something to be proud of within the social community) and 2. the classic iPad bait (though in this case, it’s not supposed to be given away for free, but sent through mail, for testing purposes).
What to do if you come across this scam?First off, do not provide any details through the  form displayed on the malicious web page. Second, remove yourself from the admin list of that page. To remove yourself from the administrators’ list of the malicious page, please follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/
Click the Edit info option next to the page you do not want to be the administrator of. Then click Manage admins and remove yourself from the list. This should solve the issue.

3.How to remove yourself from the admin list of a page
You can also follow the directions in this tutorial: https://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=19375&ref_query=remove+admin
This article is based on the technical information provided courtesy of George Petre, BitDefender Threat Intelligence Team Leader
All product and company names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and are the property of, and may be trademarks of, their respective owners.

Beware of posts allegedly linking to videos of Osama bin Laden’s uncut/live execution Beware of posts allegedly linking to videos of Osama bin Laden’s uncut/live execution

Breaking news of all sorts (preferably spiced up with breaking and entering details) is there to keep us all glued to our computers/ tv sets. Whether it’s somebody getting married or somebody else getting killed (yes, that’s where this weird juxtaposition of a title comes from) it’s all about how much attention the event is likely to spur.
When reading reports about the recent royal wedding, among the various accoutrements that the nice ladies put on for the festive event, I couldn’t help noticing (who could, after all?) the fascinator trend. As you may well know, this is a headpiece, a surprisingly shaped garment that ladies wear on their heads with the not so well concealed intent of ….fascinating the onlookers.
Whether reminiscent of the cyclop or of the unicorn tradition, these eccentric hats could easily become the symbol of any respectable guild of social engineers. Beads? We’ve got a famous person’s name! Feathers? No problem, we’ll just spice it up with an “unedited version” warning” (“sin censura”, as in the first example below, is even more dramatic). Deftly place the delicate arrangement on top of video content and there’s your nice scam coiffed and ready to go.



              
If the macabre fascinator manages to mesmerize you, then you’re in for a classic “copy/paste code” treatment.

Two clicks later, you find yourselves face to face with the beast:

And that’s where the adventure ends. This scam, as many others before it, will flood your friends’ wall with automatic messages that advertise its existence and ensure its longevity.

To give you an idea about the proportions of this phenomenon, 11.21% of the scams detected by BitDefender safego in the past 24 hours are Osama-themed ones.
Don’t forget hat BitDefender safego is there to keep your accounts safe from harm. As always, beware of links allegedly leading to shocking content and check your profiles regularly for any automatic posts, likes that you don’t remember having expressed, tags that you did not place on your photos or events that you did not create, but appear as having been initiated by you. You might also want to keep in mind our advice on how to tell a good app from a bad one.
Safe sharing, everyone!
This article is based on the technical information provided courtesy of George Petre, BitDefender Threat Intelligence Team Leader
All product and company names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and are the property of, and may be trademarks of, their respective owners.