Hurricane Irene scams hit Facebook

As predicted, Hurricane Irene-themed scams have begun spreading on Facebook.

The one spotted by Trend Micro fraud analyst Karla Agregado lures users in by offering a chilling video to watch: “VIDEO SHOCK – Hurricane Irene New York kills All.”

The scam is geared towards Italian Facebook users, and in order to see the video, they are first instructed to share the link on their Wall. Then, when clicking on the link for the video, they are confronted with the usual “Security Control” they must “pass” in order to see it:

The scheme requires the users to register to one of the offers, and urges them to confirm their email address and insert real/true personal information when asked.

So, the scammers earn money for every effected registration, and the websites peddling these offers get users’s personal information for free, and sometimes they can even trick them into spending some additional money.

Needless to say, the shocking video does not exist.