Facebook users were warned this week against falling for a new
scam claiming to offer a "bedroom video" of singer Justin Bieber and
girlfriend Selena Gomez.
Computer security firm
Sophos said the scam claims to contain a leaked "hidden camera video" of
intimate moments between Bieber and Gomez.
"Of
course, Bieber's typical fans - or those who would delight in his public
humiliation by a hungry paparazzi - are probably unlikely to think
twice about clicking on a link shared with them by their Facebook
friends, claiming to leak to a sex video," it said in a blog post.
But as in past scams, Sophos said users who click on the link will be
taken to a third-party website that urges them to "share" the video with
their Facebook friends.
After sharing, the users will be presented with "an all-too-familiar online survey" that earns commissions for the scammers.
"This is how the scammers make money, tricking you into driving traffic
to online surveys that earn them commission. Using sex videos is not a
new technique, and Justin Bieber has had his name used in vain by the
scammers on several occasions," Sophos noted.
It
advised Facebook users to remove the message from their newsfeed, and
delete any messages they may have inadvertently shared with their
friends.
"That way at least you are no longer
spreading it with your online chums. You can also report the link as
spam - hopefully if enough people do it, Facebook will begin to stop the
scam from spreading." it said. — TJD, GMA News
