New tool for Facebook scammers

Facebook has rolled out a new feature for comments, allowing content to be directly embedded in the comments themselves.

My first thought upon reading this announcement was that current Facebook scammers will find this new feature extremely useful. A new tool in their arsenal, so to speak.

I’ve already noticed some Facebook scams where compromised accounts post comments on other status updates saying, “Is this video of you?” with a link to a Facebook phishing site. This new feature will likely extend the usage of that scam, along with bringing in new types of comment scams and spam.

While this feature is brand new and has not been tapped just yet by scammers, I have created an example of what Facebook users might expect to see in the coming weeks using a Facebook scam that’s currently in circulation:

Always use caution when clicking on links posted by friends. Understand that scammers are crafty individuals with one sole purpose – to make money off of Facebook users.

Survey scams is the monetary vehicle of choice for scammers and why users continue to see these scam links in their news feeds. Having the ability to spam users with content within comments will help these types of scams spread even further.

Author: Satnam Narang, Security blogger and Principal at Narang Security Consulting.