Scammers Continue to Post Fake Facebook Videos

It should be old news by now that if you see a questionable video on Facebook you probably should not click on it, and definitely don’t give any information or fill out a survey. But with the sh...
Scammers Continue to Post Fake Facebook Videos
Written by

It should be old news by now that if you see a questionable video on Facebook you probably should not click on it, and definitely don’t give any information or fill out a survey. But with the shear number of fake videos popping up and scammers relentless tactics, it can be difficult to discern which videos are fake and which your friends post because they actually want to share an interesting video.

The most recent of these fake videos is one claiming to depict a roller coaster accident in California. Variations talk about it being in the United Kingdom, Australia or Universal Studios. Basically if it claims a roller coaster accident in the title it is a scam. No such video exists.

False Video Links like this have been cropping up on Facebook for some time now. Some other ones to watch out for are claims of a sex tape involving Justin Bieber or a supposedly embarrassing video of Rihanna.

Scammers tend to post “videos” that people will click on out of morbid curiosity. They want you to click without thinking.

The scammers earn money by driving traffic to certain sites. They get paid for each survey you unwittingly complete, or any product you purchase, or even just by compromising your Facebook account. Many are designed to spread malware or are linked to phishing scams, whose sole purpose is to obtain your personal information.

The best way to avoid these kind of scams it to not click on friends video shares at all, or just use some common sense to determine which videos are most likely fake. Look for videos that are designed to exploit that part of you that can’t help but watch a train wreck. If it looks gross, morbid, or involves sex, don’t click. If it links to a page that doesn’t appear to be a reputable news source, don’t click. Also watch out for the language usage in the description. Many make grammatical errors, or generally don’t sound like the way people talk.

Watch Out, Rollercoaster Accident is a Facebook Scam! http://t.co/8AdVJAzq via @zite 43 minutes ago via Zite Personalized Magazine ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

OMG – I just hate Rihanna video Facebook scam spreading http://t.co/feIoMrFO 2 days ago via Echofon ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

Have you, or someone you know, fallen for a Facebook scam? Learn how to avoid Fa…: Have you, or someo… http://t.co/xdlCeD0t -from FB 4 days ago via twitterfeed ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

It’s so sad too because those scam posts now probably represent about 95% of what’s posted on Facebook 6 days ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

NATO chief targeted in Facebook scam http://t.co/mScR0EJc 1 hour ago via ifttt ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

Get the WebProNews newsletter delivered to your inbox

Get the free daily newsletter read by decision makers

Subscribe
Advertise with Us

Ready to get started?

Get our media kit

Advertise with Us