Searches for 'Facebook FanCheck virus' put internet users at risk
September 15, 2009
Broadband internet users are constantly barraged by information, not all of which is true. Some criminals are spreading false rumors on the web about a Facebook application called FanCheck to trick people into falling for their scam.
FanCheck, a third-party app available on Facebook, allows people to see who is checking up on them on the popular social networking site. But rumors spread fast that the app was a virus that put Facebook users' PCs at risk.
The developer of FanCheck told PC World that the app is completely safe and contains no malware.
But scammers taking advantage of the rumors began setting up their own websites containing a type of malware called scareware. When people search in Google for information about a "Facebook FanCheck virus," the search results include pages that serve up actual malware.
Someone who visits one of these malware sites will be hit with a scareware pop-up that tells them their PC is infected and they need to download an antivirus product. But the antivirus product is phony and won't protect against anything.
Security researchers from Sophos warned that people should stay away from websites claiming to be about the FanCheck virus.
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