Warning: Phony 'violation' email from Facebook spreading
Copyright violations are a big deal — and most social media sites heavily enforce them. If you post a copyrighted video or song to YouTube, for example, all it takes is a quick report from the license-holder and your content gets removed instantly.
Unfortunately, not all copyrighted content is enforced evenly. Some companies are serious about protecting their intellectual property while others couldn’t care less. Tap or click here to see an extension that will read fine print copyright “gotchas” for you.
People tend to take copyright violations seriously because the law is involved. That’s why scammers are using fake copyright alerts to trick people into handing over their data. If you get one of these alerts on Facebook, be careful — the scammers behind it will try to take your password and two-factor authentication code!
Legal trouble or a bogus alert?
According to Sophos Labs, a new type of scam is spreading on Facebook that uses fake copyright violations to trick people into sharing passwords, phone numbers and 2FA codes. It’s a high-effort scheme with realistic-looking login pages and emails — but a closer look will show you the whole thing is bogus.
RELATED: How to ditch Facebook’s algorithm and see posts YOU want to see
Here’s how it works: Scammers contact you by email to let you know that content you posted to Facebook violated copyright. There will also be a threat to unpublish your profile if you don’t comply.
If you click continue, you’ll be redirected to a real Facebook page associated with the scammers. This page will have a link to a copyright appeal form that looks like another Facebook link.
But unlike the first page, this one isn’t on Facebook at all. Instead, you end up on a phishing site that asks for information like your name, phone number and Facebook password. You’ll be asked to enter it twice for confirmation.
Check your phone! 23 apps you must delete right now
If you don’t do enough research before downloading an app from Google Play, you could end up with something nightmarish installed on your Android phone that wastes your battery and bombards you with spam. It’s almost like clockwork each month when a new batch of these apps is discovered.
Outlook users beware! This security notice is a trick
Phishing attacks aren’t slowing down, but they have in many cases become easier to spot. The problem is there are also plenty of cybercriminals working to make these scams indistinguishable from the real thing.
Case in point, some phishing emails are putting far more effort into looking like the genuine article. Tap or click here to see how convincing this Netflix phishing scam looks.
Check your phone! iPhone apps with 3.5 million downloads are stealing money
Malicious apps on official app stores like Google Play are nothing new. In the past year alone, thousands of money and data-stealing programs have been found and deleted by Google — and many more are probably still waiting to be discovered.