The Facebook scam attempting to sign users to paid mobile subscription services is back and spreading quickly.
A similar scam in November was offering Google job information in exchange for filling out a brief quiz and providing your phone number. Now the service is fully relying on Facebook user ignorance and tricking them into believing there is an issue with Coka-Cola.
Warning, do not follow the link below. It will not harm your computer but it will suggest you do things to spread the issue and ask you for personal information that may lead to unwanted cell phone bill charges.
Using Open Book, hundreds of users can already be seen sharing the following message, “I am part of the 98.0% of people that are NEVER gonna drink Coca Cola again after this HORRIFIC video –> http://www.truthaboutcoke.usI www.truthaboutcoke.usI http://www.truthaboutcoke.usI/”
Going to the website will bring users to a fake video player with a headline suggestion that 9 out of 10 people would not drink Coke after seeing it. To be able to actually view the video however, A person must “Like” the page, Press the Share button (this automatically puts the link on your wall and all of your friends newsfeed) and finally copy and paste the message directly on to seven different places on Facebook.
In a matter of 10 minutes the amount of people who liked the page went from 21,105 to 21,858 people. Although these are small numbers when comparing Facebook as a whole, it’s still very easy to continue spreading.
It’s Fake
The Video is fake. It’s simply an image and when clicked a prompt will appear that says you must share, like and post messages before viewing it.
The loading status circle at the bottom of the site is just a .gif image. There is no loading occurring, but a graphic spinning. This is similar to the dancing babies you would commonly find on every website during the 90s.
Just below that is a message that states, “Click here when you are done!” Although the link is tied to an anchor spot on the page, which will not check of anything has interacted with the website.
Everything on the website is fake and the main goal is to have you skip to the bottom and move to the following page. It will then ask you to take a short quiz, but at the very end it asks for your cell phone carrier provider and your phone number. At the bottom of the page it says you will be charged a monthly subscription fee.
What if I already gave them my phone number?
If you already gave them your phone number, you can immediately stop the service by texting STOP to 40544. You will also need to call your phone provider and tell them that this charge is not supposed to be there. Supposedly you can also call for your money back within 30 days from the originating site.
For those who have not provided their information to the site, but have seen the message posted by a friend, it would be wise to let them know about this situation.
Social Media
Currently there is no mention of the scam being spread through Twitter, however Social Media news site Mashable has done a great job informing others of the situation.
