Online Facebook scams need a “dislike” option

Sneaky subscription charges, pop-up ads just some ways scammers are using social media

Usocial claims that, for a fee, it can get advertisers millions of views on YouTube, around 1,000 to 10,000 fans on Facebook in just a week as well as votes on Digg.

Online scams have taken on a new face and penetrated popular social networking sites. Facebook is quickly becoming a popular tool for scammers. The company has come under fire for not protecting its users from bogus ads, virtual games and hackers.

The ads use software that is able to access your personal information and input your friends’ names into the pop-up ad, misleading users into thinking the ad is from Facebook.

Chelsa Jordan, a University of Manitoba student, enjoys playing the online game Farmville but considers it a scam as the user is charged while playing, something users aren’t told when they subscribe.

Facebook currently is facing a lawsuit for running online game ads that are not clear on required subscription charges.

More recently, scammers have begun to pose as Facebook friends in need of money. Users are willing to accept strangers as friends and disclose personal information such as social security numbers and credit card numbers even though they might not know them, making it difficult to curb the problem.

Amaro Silva, executive director of the Better Business Bureau, hasn’t heard any complaints about Facebook but is aware problems exist. Although people are more informed about online scams, “the fastest growing area in crime is in identity theft,” usually facilitated by information disclosed online, said Silva.

Facebook, on the other hand, along with social media sites Twitter and Digg, have reportedly made separate attempts to shut down online marketing firm Usocial.

Usocial offers unlimited press release distribution services and guaranteed front page space on the web’s major websites. For a fee the company claims it can get advertisers millions of views on YouTube, around 1,000 to 10,000 fans on Facebook in just a week and votes on Digg.

Buying fans and Tweets doesn’t necessarily guarantee increased profits as the fans or Tweets could be irrelevant to one’s business.

“What USocial is doing is not illegal; it’s just that the social bookmarking sites don’t like it,” USocial founder Leon Hill stated in a press release.

According to Silva, online users should be aware of the privacy policies and encryption of the sites they visit so as to avoid being scammed due to misinformation, as some of the sites could be legal.

According to Usocial.net, the company targets users that may be interested in a client’s product and hence its YouTube views are real people. So far, the company has managed to succeed in buying Tweets, votes and fans, however not much could be said as to whether the company succeeds in increasing advertisers’ market power.

To learn more on how to protect yourself from scams and identity theft visit bbb.org.

Published in Volume 64, Number 12 of The Uniter (November 19, 2009)

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