It’s no secret that social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace are full of scams.
Scammers’ methods get more and more sophisticated and and the social networking companies do little to crack down on the malicious ads. The result is obvious, isn’t it?
One of today’s most popular methods used by scammers is to use Facebook games.
One example is Farmville. Farmville uses virtual currency in the game. People pay real money to buy virtual currency. With more money you will level faster and such (you know the deal). A scam presents itself as an ad that promises to give you in-game money for completing a little quiz or an IQ test. You are required to enter your cell phone number.
Once you do, you will be subscribing to a monthly service that will send you i.e. horoscope messages and slap you with a $10 a month recurring fee.
Cell phone subscription tricks are not new. They have been around for a while. You’ve all seen banner ads that ask you what celebrity played what role in a movie or ask you to take an IQ quiz. Their goal is to get your cell phone number so they subscribe you to a monthly service you never wanted or knew about.
There are many variations to this trick. Some may ask for your name and other personal information instead of your cell phone number. Their goal may be to sell your information in the identity theft marketplace.
Facebook has been turning a blind eye to these scam ads. Why? Zynga, the creator of Farmville and Mafia Wars spend an estimated $50 million a year on Facebook ads.
I urge you the Facebook users to put some pressure on Facebook to clean up its online environment. Send them an email.
And for those hooked on these games, look elsewhere. Zynga’s games are mostly close copies of already-existing popular games. A case in point: The launch of Mafia Wars sparked a lawsuit (which is still unsettled) from the makers of Mob Wars. Spend your money on better games.
If you’re into in-browser games, I recommend . One of the best flash game site I know of.
See also: http://www.kctv5.com/news/21595537/detail.html;
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One Comment
Play some real games people!!!!