Don’t Trust Everything Mark Zuckerburg Allegedly Announces

I like Facebook.  Really.

But every now and then I do not like it.  Every now and then I get a dubious posting on my wall about the latest Facebook app or issue.  Sometimes, they’re downright dangerous.

For example, just today one of my friends had this on their post:

Mark Zuckerberg – Official Announcement.
The owner of Facebook announced that all the UNVERIFIED accounts will get DELETED. To keep using your Facebook account, you MUST VERIFY your account NOW (followed by a shortened link that you will regret clicking)

If you click the link, you get a Facebook “Request for Permission” that grants an app called “Account Verification” the rights to all your precious Facebook data and friends list.  You did not verify your account; you were just tricked into giving away your Facebook profile data.

This is not the first such scheme; there are many.  Like the one about “who’s viewing your profile?”  It’s a scam just like this one.

What to do when you get a solicitation like this from a friend?  Glad you asked!

• Google the claim made by the post.  It won’t take a lot of searching to see if it’s a scam.
• Use the “Report App” link to let Facebook know it’s bogus.
• Post under the item that it’s a scam.  Your friend may or may not know, nor may your friend know they posted this.  This is how spam works.  If your friend is offended, they needed to be.
• Block the app by clicking the “X” on the post and selecting “Block (application name)”

Be careful what you believe…. and click.