Something Phishy on Facebook: Recognizing Facebook Phishing Scams

At any given moment, there are phishing scams in the works on the world's most popular social network. Facebook, which has over half a billion users, provides an innovative and groundbreaking forum through which people can keep in touch with family and friends and reach out to broader communities. But like in any community, the schemers and scammers can find their way in. What is a Facebook phishing scam - and how can you avoid getting hooked?

What is a Phishing Scam?

Facebook scams can take many forms; a very recent one disguises itself as a legitimate Facebook app. When users click on the link, they are directed to a page that looks almost identical to a real Facebook page. Users are prompted to enter their e-mail address and password to "re-authenticate" their account. What is that one small difference that tells you this is a scam? If you look at the URL, you will see that it has the regular Facebook.com address, followed by ru. If users do enter the requested information, it is up for grabs among the creators of the scheme. The goal of this and every other phishing scheme is to recover private and confidential data in order to profit.

Facebook is just the newest target for scammers; in previous years, web-based email servers have been vulnerable. Most of us know that we shouldn't open, reply, open attachments, or click on links that are contained within a suspicious email. Now that attention has shifted to Facebook - because of the enormous user base and the enormous potential for ill-gained profit - users have to learn a whole new set of safety behaviors. One of the most crucial is being able to discern what a phishing scam looks like in action.

How to Recognize Phishing Activity

Scams may come directly to your inbox, appearing to be from Facebook. Since users do receive alerts and messages from the social network, many are apt to open it and provide the requested information. To prevent this, look at any Facebook alert very carefully; scrutinize the URL. Next, be aware that Facebook doesn't send emails requesting your account information. Why would they? They already have it. This is a good sign that the message is illegitimate.

It is also common for phishing to leap from your inbox to your Facebook wall. You may see a link for a video or a news story; it may even appear to come from someone on your friend list and appear to have a legitimate Facebook URL. The safest way to deal with these is to ignore them. You can often tell fake links from legitimate ones based on the content of the link. If in doubt, do not open. If you should open one of these links, and it prompts you for account or personal information, close it immediately.

The popular Facebook group, Facebook Phishing Awareness Group, can be a valuable resource for learning more about scams, as well as news on the latest phishing schemes. You can also report suspected cases of phishing on this page to warn other users. The Facebook Security Page also has more information.

Protecting your Facebook account is important; when you can detect phishing scams, you can help prevent your account and information from being compromised.