3 Common Facebook Scams and How to Avoid Them

The Internet is a vast space that enables consumers and creators alike unprecedented freedom of expression. However, given the Internet's lack of oversight and rules, this anything-goes-world is one in which every user must be careful to avoid scams that threaten their privacy or expose them to unwanted ads or viruses. Here are a few common scams specific to Facebook that you may want to look out for.

1. An application that claims to enable users to see who viewed their profile.

Although this scam has circulated before, a brand new one has just popped up, according to a recent PC Magazine article. Of course, given everyone's predilection to "stalk" friends, acquaintances, or even strangers, it would be wonderful to know who's been looking at your own profile. Unfortunately, as Facebook itself has noted, seeing who has viewed your profile is not actually possible; it's also illegal. If you come across any application that claims to be able to do this, or a friend posts a link to such an application, be sure to ignore it and delete related wall posts. Clicking on such links will take you to unwanted ads and will expose your personal information to third parties.

2. The "dislike" button application

The "like" feature on Facebook has been around for some time now, enabling users to show appreciation or association with a status update, a group, a comment, virtually anything. Given the number of annoying, pointless status updates, bad movies, and more, you'd think there would be a "dislike" button as well. Even though Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg said that his company is certainly considering a dislike feature in the future, consider the enormous demand for one, it still does not exist. Any application that claims to install one for you is a scam. It will likely ask you to fill out a survey and then ask for permission to access your profile. Once you fall for this scam, the fake dislike button will hack your account and post status updates and wall posts advertising this application to your friends, according to an MSNBC article published earlier this year.

3. Anything related to Justin Bieber

Although you've got to give credit to whoever the scammers are who started this one for their sense of humor, any wall posts with links promising scandalous details about teen pop sensation Justin Bieber are part of another Facebook scam. According to a SoftPedia article, one common message from this scam is "OMG, Justin Bieber hits Girl for NO Reason! This is so bad!", followed by a link to a set of surveys that ends up opening up your profile to more attacks.

Although these are the latest Facebook scams that you should be on the lookout for, Facebook seems to be constantly plagued by malware and rogue applications. The best advice is to avoid anything on Facebook that sounds too good to be true. Also, wall posts from friends that don't sound like something they would say is another way to detect scams. Be sure to delete these wall posts before they spread. If you have even a little bit of doubt, avoid a link or application altogether, or do a Google search beforehand. As with anything on the Internet, being careful and aware is the best way to avoid these common traps.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Anna Miller, who writes on the topics of online degree.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: anna22.miller@gmail.com.