Bogus Twitter DMs lead to iPad scam, surveys and phishing

Yesterday’s unveiling of the iPad Mini has not lead to a decrease in desirability of its bigger version, and the offer of a free device is still a very effective lure employed by online scammers.

The latest of these “Get a free iPad” starts with Direct Messages on Twitter asking users to check out a picture of themselves with an unnamed woman.

The link offered in the message takes them to a Facebook app page that is set to execute a PHP script as soon as they land on it, and it redirects them to a fake Facebook page.

This page offers them to participate in a iPad 3 (or iPad 2) quality test and says they will be rewarded with a free iPad:

Unfortunately, that’s a complete lie.

“Depending on where users are in the US and UK, they are led to either a survey scam page or a phishing page once they click Click here,” warns GFI, while others are redirected to a well-known ad campaign page.

GFI’s researchers points out that, so far, over 4,500 Internet users have visited the malicious Facebook app page, but the number of final victims is impossible to know.