Facebook Friend Request SCAM

Beware: Facebook friend request scam
By Kevin Downey


It's so easy to get lured into online friendships. Especially this time of year, when people are friendlier than usual and reaching out to old acquaintances like you, you often accept friend requests without giving it much thought.

That's nice, when it's a person you know and trust. But, too often, your so-called online friends are really just scammers trying to steal your identity.

If you think back to when you first signed up for social media sites like Facebook, you probably put in information about yourself that seemed safe. Your birthday and home town seem innocent enough. Plus, a little information about your job or, if you're in the military, where you're stationed.

But all that information is useful to scammers trying to steal your ID. The Better Business Bureau asks social media users to report Facebook scams and other social media scams to them. But there's more you can do to protect yourself from having your ID stolen.

Besides reporting scams to the BBB after they've occurred, you also need to be proactive. You need to check your social media profiles, and get rid of information that scammers can use to steal your ID, according to a professor at the University of South Florida.

Here's what he recommends you do:

1. Don't accept friend requests from people you don't know, even if they know people you know
2. Don't include your birthday, address, or phone number on your profile
3. Frequently update your privacy settings; make sure you put restrictions on who can request that you be their friend

As you share Thanksgiving photos with your family and friends on Facebook this weekend, be on the lookout for scammers. Plus, when you have a moment, review your profile and privacy settings. It can save you headaches down the road.

Source: The Epoch Times

Facebook Quiz Warning

Don't take that viral Facebook quiz
By Kelli Uhrich


Updated 11/25 with new clarifications from Vonvon and instructions to disable the quiz app.

We know it's tempting. You've seen that quiz going around that all your friends seem to be taking. It's a personality quiz, and that's right up your alley. But, wait a second. Before you take it, you might want to think twice. And if you've already taken it, keep reading to learn what you should do.

The quiz "Your Most Used Words on Facebook" is a viral sensation. It scans your Facebook posts and creates a "word cloud" from the words you use most in your account. But, this quiz could go beyond just collecting your name and a few details about your life.

It has access to your birth date, hometown, education and work details. It picks up everything you've liked and browsed, and even has access to your photos. Plus, it archives your IP address.

That's quite a bit of information for a simple quiz on Facebook. And the thing is most people take the quiz after agreeing to the terms first. The app prompts a page that asks you to authorize its connection with your Facebook account.

We see those pop-ups all the time, though. So it's easy to assume that it's just another request, and it's probably fine. But this should make you take another look, and be more cautious.

What's particularly frightening about this Facebook quiz is the Privacy Policy associated with the app. You know, those lengthy contracts that nobody reads? The company behind the quiz, Vonvon.me, has snuck a little nugget in there that everyone should know.

The policy states that anyone who logs in using Facebook is authorizing the app to continue using their information even after they've terminated their account. Even more, users who agree to the terms are authorizing the app to store their information on servers around the globe. Some of which are located in countries where privacy laws don't exist.

Of course, the Vonvon.me agreement states it would never share your personal information with a third party without telling you first. However, it also says in the agreement that by clicking "OK" you're stating you've been told.

The CEO of Vonvon has spoken out and clarified that it doesn't actually pull any of your personal information out of Facebook or sell any of it. It only uses the bare minimum it needs to create the word cloud. However, it's a good reminder that the company could have if it wanted, and some other company in the future might.

If you already took the quiz and granted permissions for the app to access your Facebook account, you can't take back whatever information it already collected. However, you can keep it from scooping up more of your information in the future.

You'll need to unlink the app from your Facebook account. To unlink an app or game from Facebook, follow these steps:

1. Click the arrow in the upper-right corner of your Facebook page and select Settings
2. Click Apps in the left menu
3. Hover over the app or game you'd like to remove and click X. This app could be identified as "Vonvon" or "Your Most Used Words on Facebook." You should also review what other apps you've given access to in the past and what permissions they have.

Note: An app or game may have stored info from when you were using it, but you can contact the developer to ask that they delete any info they may still have.

Walmart Check Fraud

WARNING: If You Get a Check From Walmart in the Mail it Means…

Scams are rampant these days, with most of them taking place on the internet. One group of scammers, however, have found a new way to drain funds from your bank account.

A group of scammers is sending out fake checks, like the one pictured above. It also comes with a letter like this:

The Massac County Sheriff’s Office issued the following warning:

A new scam to hit this area is the Walmart scam. A person receives a letter, like the one below, in the mail along with a check, like the one pictured above.
The letter informs the person that they have been accepted into the Quality Control program from Walmart. The letter informs the person of their responsibilities.
A check activation is required using a supplied user ID and password. Once the check is activated, the person is to deposit the check into their bank account to begin shopping and participating in the program. THIS IS A SCAM. Once you deposit the check into your account, the scammers drain your account.
DO NOT DEPOSIT THIS CHECK.
If you receive this letter in the mail, throw it away.

This scam certainly hits on your desperation and/or greed, and takes advantage of your need for money. It can be quite easy to see a check and immediately take it to the bank, but if you see this or anything like it, please check into it first. Odds are, people and corporations aren’t just going to send you money out of the blue.

Take the time to protect yourself and your assets.