Facebook Photoshop App Scam Lures 600,000 Users With Fake Photos

Facebook users on Monday woke up to a new scam spreading virally through the Facebook Chat windows.

A user will receive a spammy message from a friend that reads, "hey, i just made a photoshop of you," and includes a link that brings the user to an application installation window. The app asks for access to your Facebook information (name, gender, photo, networks, lists of friends, user ID, and more), as well as access to your Facebook Chat.

If you click "Allow," you are taken to a site that displays photoshopped images of people's faces on animals' bodies, the Register reports. Meanwhile, the newly installed application spams your Facebook friends via Chat.

M86 Security Labs reports that 88,000 people per hour have clicked on these links. The Register estimates that by 5 a.m. EST, over 600,000 profile have fallen victim to this viral threat.

"At this point, we do not know what the end game is for the scammers here," writes M86 Security Labs. "The destination site results in no malicious infection and does not lead to a survey scam. Having access to a users' Facebook Chat could allow the scam application to be used to send out other messages."

If you've accidentally clicked this rogue link and "allowed" the app to access your profile information, it is recommended that you remove the app immediately.

Comments

[TruXter]

01:50 AM on 04/16/2011

You she see how this scam has evolved over the past few days.
http://truxtertech.com/news/2011/04/11/hackers-exploit-facebook-tagging-to-reach-more-victims/
Everyday they come up with new ways to spread this thing. Been a few years since we had people hack us for fun. photo tagging virus is what everyone calls it.

[Meldy1]

02:50 AM on 04/07/2011

FBook is not a waste of time when you can share ideas with your friends around the world or connect with families living and working abroad.Connecting beyod borders thru opinions and messages.It was the social netwoking that brought down Mubarak,that masved force of hyves and blogs that sparked the protest going to the streets of Cairo plus the speech Obama to Cairo students that they too can win their future...I used FBook to connect and defend the good intentions and policies of President Obama,this is the blogosphere,every person has the right to do what they think the best way to be heard or share or connect,but for me civility must be in placed,whether you agree or not.

[Beverly Bardwell Greis]

11:48 PM on 04/06/2011

Come ON people! It might be flattering to some-believing that a "friend" created a 'shopped photo of you, but for goodness sake, have them send it to you by email or message! Grow up already!

[Amanda Morrissette]

08:50 PM on 04/06/2011

I use facebook to stay in touch with friends and to waste time. I don't use any apps that want all of my information. Now that I know of this scam I will be better prepared to click NO when facebook chat tries to virally infect me with its nonsense.

[DomainDiva]

07:11 PM on 04/06/2011

Looks to me like a test app for something way more insidious.

[contrail]

08:42 AM on 04/06/2011

It's ammo for the new and improved Grandma scam.

[listerizermarkIII]

04:18 PM on 04/06/2011

I agree, I can recall countless times of teaching and reteaching my grandma to NOT forward chain emails and NOT to give out CCNs. We had to cancel so many credit cards. Also, fanned.

[beerbagger]

07:38 PM on 04/05/2011

"I'm so proud of you I've become on Facebook..."

[theblotterco]

06:31 PM on 04/05/2011

You guys should try www.theblotter.co . It's pretty simple to use and it's just starting up so there's not a bunch of scammers out there on the network. You can also organize you friends into groups so you can interact with your family, friends and co-workers all separately!

[listerizermarkIII]

04:19 PM on 04/06/2011

Please don't spam. Pretty please.

[theblotterco]

04:53 PM on 04/06/2011

what about this is spam? It is an improvement over facebook related to this article. Much more related than your reply. Last time I checked, helpful suggestions and related posts are in no way 'spam'.

[toxico]

06:00 PM on 04/05/2011

Another reason to not use Facebook.

[Pembrokelib]

08:22 PM on 04/10/2011

Would you stop using all your credit cards because of identity theft? Facebook is perfectly safe if used wisely and millions love and enjoy it.

[StrawHat]

02:23 PM on 04/05/2011

"If you've accidentally clicked this rogue link and "allowed" the app to access your profile information, it is recommended that you remove the app immediately."

Why doesn't FACEBOOK's tech team "remove the app immediately". Sheesh. This kind of nonsense is part of the reason that I closed my account in 2009.

[dennis1943]

08:46 AM on 04/05/2011

Scamming and fraud are becoming a "business model"..................:-p

[Virgil Starkwell]

08:52 AM on 04/05/2011

becoming??????????????

[dennis1943]

09:34 PM on 04/05/2011

Am only saying "becoming" because my wife barely avoided being victimized last week..........we are far from being prime targets...........

[listerizermarkIII]

04:21 PM on 04/06/2011

Unfortunately, they've already become a business model. Such a large income from spamming scams and quickly changing names and moving on. It's really so sad.

[neige]

08:03 AM on 04/05/2011

Facebook has become a way for non-billionaires, who do not own a media outlet to gather, and spread the truth as to what is really happening in our country. If it wasn't for facebook, we would not have seen the 2,000 people march to the Koch Brother's offices in D.C.

[PCMinistry]

01:42 PM on 04/05/2011

2000 in D.C. seems like a big deal. In the U.S. if you can get 2000 off of their lazy boys and turnign off their tv its a goddam jesus-style miracle. Meanwhile, in London they had nearly 500,000 in trafalgar. Hey everybody, turn your tv's off.

[StrawHat]

07:58 AM on 04/05/2011

I closed my Facebook account over a year ago. Best tech decision I ever made.

[llen]

08:35 AM on 04/05/2011

You have that right, closed mine about a year ago

[voicingreason]

07:55 AM on 04/05/2011

I use facebook to stay in touch with friends that I don't often see; I do not use any of their apps, and never click on anything that asks for my info.

[Amazone]

06:49 PM on 04/05/2011

me too

[trumbull desi]

09:00 PM on 04/05/2011

me three

[listerizermarkIII]

04:21 PM on 04/06/2011

Me 4.

[BlueOnBlue]

07:23 AM on 04/05/2011

Fadbook has peaked. It may one day become as relevant as AOL chat rooms.

[listerizermarkIII]

04:22 PM on 04/06/2011

You forgot bulletin boards.