I was checking the home page on my Facebook today, and I see a friend of mine recently joined the group, “Stop the usage of dogs as live bait for Sharks.” Immediately, it caught my attention because I was like, “Damn! Some people are just sickos!” I proceed to click on the link to see what the hell is going on.
The Red Flags
As I page down the group, I see 3 links that lead to the same URL, as pointed out below. The URLs obviously have nothing to do with the topic at hand. Secondly, the “Recent News” was something about “working from home. I then checked out the admin people. Yes, their profiles are set to private; however, you can look at their friends: each of them have like 16 friends who, BTW, are scattered around the globe. One of the admin persons had no profile pic-ah…DUH? As I looked a little little deeper, I noticed the group URL was completely unrelated as well and the photo was not a dog on a fish hook! It was a medical response dog!
(Click on the image and then Control plus “+” on your keyboard to see in greater detail)
The problem
You may be thinking, “So? Why should I care?” BECAUSE, as an administrator of a group, a person has the ability to send an email to all group members. This email could easily contain a virus, or three or four that will send your computer into a tizzy. This damage could be totally avoided just by taking a moment to evaluate the applications, groups and pages you become a member of on Facebook. Groups and aps can be fun: I am NOT against them. However, with so much info spewed our ways on a daily basis, it’s easy to just ALLOW without thinking. Be careful! Don’t join a group just because you believe in the headline!
The 2 Ways to Detect Facebook Spam
1. Actually LOOK at the group page
Do a little fishing and if you see weird, unrelated links take a hint. Be hesitant to join groups with outrageous headlines and causes.
2. Click on administrators
If they are not your friends, then click to view their friends. If their posse looks suspicious or people aren’t mostly from the same geographic area it’s most likely a fake profile.
3. Report the bastards!
If you come across a fake profile and spammy group in your investigative process, look for the little “Report” link in the bottom left-hand corner of the page. It’s there on groups and profiles.
Fight Spam!
