When you think of fraud and identity theft on the internet, the first thing that typically comes to mind is stolen credit cards, not stolen Facebook profiles. In the fraudulent black markets that proliferate in private ICQ rooms and underground web forums, credit card information is currently trading for around 37 dollars per account according to Ecommerce Journal. Facebook profiles are trading for just over 1 dollar.
If you are looking for the “big bucks” in the black market selling stolen credit cards may still be the best way but you would imagine that it’s easier to get someone to part with their Facebook password than their credit card data. This is also how viruses like the ongoing Koobface virus stand to profit from hijacking users’ accounts. Steal a few hundred thousand Facebook accounts and you are talking about serious cash.
Those Facebook accounts can also be used to profile individuals in order to target them for more deceptive scams, such as duping them into entering their credit card information. You can look at them as fraudulent sales leads. According to security experts this time of year is prime time for fraudulent activity online. Fraudsters need to buy their children gifts, right?
Taking steps to protect yourself from becoming the next victim has become a necessity. Those steps include everything from using a safe browser (such as Firefox which automatically prevents pop-ups and malicious scripts from running on your computer) to installing a security application on your computer. It also requires not clicking on suspicious links that your friends post on your Facebook wall as it may not really be them.
While Facebook and other social networks will hopefully tackle the Koobface virus soon, it’s better to play it safe when browsing the large social networks.
Koobface Virus image from Joshua Baer
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For some people who drive a great deal of business through Facebook this becomes a life line, possibly ransom?
Comment by Nick Stamoulis — December 19, 2008 @ 12:14 pm
Hello Madam / Sir,
I made a big mistake. i wanted to my friends say something about me and i forgot to change the message. so you deleted my account.
i am very very sorry because of it. Can you active my account again please?
That is the warning “Your account has been disabled by an administrator. If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit our FAQ page here.”
What can i do to be activated my account again?
Regards…
Comment by Dalaman güzel — December 20, 2008 @ 4:25 am
my facebook account was stolen!
plz help
Comment by Saysouya haj — July 13, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
hello!my gf's fb account got stolen!!how can i get it back?
sincerly
Comment by kobe — July 15, 2010 @ 4:58 am
I love my facebook it was stolen.im a housewife@mother who relief is getting on line its like calgoon to a stress out mom@wife ive been without facebook for about a month . i want my acct. back how can i reopen it, i just found out half my cousins are on facebook this is the only way we can talk.my mom found them on facebook i would love to talk to my family its important to me.please reopen my facebook this is the only way i have to talk to family we just found them so i have no address no phone number just facebook help this lonely stressed out mom@wife please.
Comment by micheleboles — August 24, 2010 @ 10:21 am
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Regards
Mcx Tips
Comment by Mcx Tips — September 22, 2011 @ 7:37 am