Your own email @facebook.com? Beware Facebook survey scam

Filed Under: Facebook, Rogue applications, Social networks, Spam

Thousands of Facebook users have been hit by a scam which claims to give them early access to a facebook.com email address.

Messages, appearing in the news feed of users who have fallen for the scam, read:

Just got my own email @facebook.com! Quickly get one before someone takes your name

Just got my own email @facebook.com! Quickly get one before someone takes your name [LINK]

However, clicking on the links leads you to a webpage which tricks you into giving a third party application permission to post to your Facebook wall.

Your own email @facebook.com?

Rogue application

Don't, whatever you do, allow the app to have permission to access your profile. Because then it will start to spread the messages even further, starting with your online Facebook friends.

You won't realise it's doing that, of course, until it's too late - as you're too distracted by the form asking you for your email details.. oh, and the revenue-generating online survey that the scammers have put up in the front of it..

Survey scam on Facebook

Note, these scam messages are not connected with Facebook's genuine plans to give everyone a @facebook.com public email address. Facebook expects to roll out that service more widely in the coming months, and will use your "publicusername" when live.

Here's a YouTube video where I show you how to clean-up your Facebook account if you were hit by this, or similar scams:

(Enjoy this video? You can check out more on the SophosLabs YouTube channel and subscribe if you like)

If you're a member of Facebook don't forget to join the Sophos Facebook page to stay up-to-date with the latest security news.

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5 Responses to Your own email @facebook.com? Beware Facebook survey scam

  1. Jason Hatch says:

    You DO know that this posted on the FAQ's on the Facebook Help Center itself right?

  2. Deena says:

    Thank you SO much! Such a professionally done, helpful video.

  3. hi
    thank you for share this information i really like it and also useful to me. keep posting

  4. frustrated says:

    This video is out-of-date, so that these instructions no longer work... any chance of getting some working solutions posted?

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About the author

Graham Cluley has worked in the computer security industry for more than 20 years, developing anti-virus software and doing quite a lot of talking about internet threats. He's won awards for his blogging, but is proudest of the text adventure games he wrote when he was still wearing short trousers. You can learn more about those (the games, not the trousers) at grahamcluley.com. Send Graham an email, subscribe to his updates on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and App.net, and circle him on Google Plus for regular updates.