Whole Foods Scam Hits Facebook
Friday, April 2, 2010
It's a known fact that people tend to let their guards down when using social networks. Also, Whole Foods enjoys a positive reputation, and free stuff has a definite draw. Unfortunately, a new scam on Facebook capitalizes on all of these truths.
People should stay clear of Facebook Pages that speak of $500 Whole Foods gift card giveaways. Several have been identified and shut down, but scammers keep creating new ones tempting users until Facebook and Whole Foods employees notice them and respond again.
As for what, exactly, the problem is, Caroline McCarthy wrote earlier today, "The fan page asks Facebook users to add it as a fan, thus pushing awareness of the page through those users' Facebook networks, and then asks them to fill out a credit assessment and other forms that request personal information. The scam then uses a form of malware to crash users' computers and the information they have entered is left vulnerable."
Whole Foods and Facebook are taking action, at least, with Facebook employees trying to ensure that these groups will automatically be flagged.
Of course, if they succeed (and even if they don't), it might be best to be wary of other giveaways on Facebook since the scammers could adapt their tactics.
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