MySpace Scams

Cyberscammers are using Facebook to scam sorority members, with incidents reported at four different universities this academic year.

Florida State University, Auburn University, the University of Alabama, and Louisiana State University have confirmed reports of sorority members being harassed by Cyberscammers posing as potential Facebook friends.

Major Jim Russell, assistant police chief at Florida State, said sorority members on his campus have received a friend request from an individual claiming to be affiliated with a particular sorority. The new “friend” will then request a video interview with the sorority member and inquire about a particular member’s interests—ranging from members seeking initiation to even active members looking for a leadership position. However, the friend will claim the camera is broken and insist on conducting a one-way video chat.

From there the contact escalated into harassment, Mr. Russell said, with Florida State students reporting that, in certain cases, the “friend” has asked them to reveal undergarments or disrobe entirely. In at least one case, Mr. Russell said, a girl received a threat from the “friend,” saying that her “girls could handle her” if she refused to comply with orders.

“Who knows how a person’s mind works,” Mr. Russell said of possible reasons that the suspect may be focusing on sorority members. “However, the person may be preying on students who want to be accepted in a new social environment.”

Meanwhile, Deedie Dowdle, an Auburn University spokesperson, said the rising popularity of the social-networking service also might be a factor.

“With any new technology, especially a medium that’s as involved as Facebook, there’s a tendency for some to start using it in ways that were not originally intended,” Ms. Dowdle said. “Students create their own friends, and they can forget that it’s very big, and what they’re posting is public and very accessible.”

Officials at the three other universities did not go into additional detail about the nature of the cybercommunication on Facebook.

Sergeant Blake Tabor, public information for Louisiana State University’s police department, said he was unaware of the magnitude of the scam until students at other colleges came forward about their stories.

Now, he said, his department has been coordinating with other institutions and agencies to help catch the suspect.

The four institutions are informing members of their campuses about the incidents, and officials at three of the universities confirmed they have ongoing investigations. Additionally, all are coordinating internal efforts, ranging from university-wide e-mails to orientation sessions, to educate students on how to properly use the social network.

Mr. Russell, in particular, suggested that all students should make sure to adjust their privacy settings, and to deny friend requests from individuals they don’t know. He also warned that any information released on the Internet can stay there forever.

“Students now have to understand that the Internet cloaks the bad guys and that basic prevention concepts are key into preventing future incidents,” he said.

The victims of this scam will end up spamming their friends with links called: “WOW, This GUY Went A Little To Far WITH His REVENGE On His EX GIRLFRIEND! (shocking)”

The associated messages read: “Ohhh my God! That’s Harsh Revenge right there ! :O” or “Do you think this guy went a little to far with his revenge? This guy didn’t like what his girlfriend did, so he took revenge in his own hands!”

Clicking on the spammed link takes users to a rogue Facebook application page designed to trick them.

There are different types of survey scams on Facebook and this appears to be one of those multi-step ones, where users have to complete different tasks in order to access the alleged content.

Of course, very few of them actually deliver on their promises and when they do are mostly disappointing.

In this case, users are encouraged to Like and Share a rogue page called “g1rlfriendsh0ck,” which falsely claims that the intriguing video has been seen by 441,843 users.

Indeed, spammers earn hefty commissions through affiliate marketing schemes for driving traffic to these surveys, that usually try to sign up users to premium rate services.

Scammers have taken to social networking sites in their latest attempts to scam unsuspecting victims, FBI officials said on Friday afternoon.

Cyber Criminals have been hacking into Facebook and MySpace accounts and messaging the account holder’s friends, telling them they’ve been robbed while on vacation and need money to pay a hotel bill, authorities stated.

The hackers claim they need the money immediately and add their credit cards, identification, passport and cell phones were also stolen making it difficult for the victim to verify the story and placing urgency on the need for the money.

FBI authorities warn if anyone receives a similar message to verify the information before sending any money. Contact family members or other friends of the alleged stranded victim to see if they really are on vacation in another country. And if the person claims not to have their cell phone, call the number to see if that really is the case.

With so many people spending more time on socials networking sites like Facebook, authorities said users should beware.

A TEENAGER is facing child pornography charges after posting nude photos of herself on her MySpace page.
The 14-year-old girl from New Jersey was arrested after uploading 30 explicit images to the social network, according to US media reports.

She posted her photos “because she wanted her boyfriend to see them”, a police spokesman said.

Authorities arrested her after receiving an online tip-off about the images, which could have been viewed by anyone who “friended” her on MySpace.

MySpace has not commented on the incident, but has a team which reviews content uploaded to the social network.

The New Jersey case is the latest in a series of legal wrangles surrounding teenagers’ use of mobiles and the internet.

In a separate case, three teenage girls are suing a US prosecutor who accused them of peddling “child pornography” after semi-nude pictures of them were sent by phone to friends.

Teachers alerted the authorities after discovering a waist-up image of two girls covered just by a bra and another image of a girl topless.

District Attorney George Skumanik called for the girls to undergo five weeks of behaviour courses and take a drug test or face prosecution, according to a letter apparently sent to the teenagers’ parents.

The American Civil Liberties Union, a co-signatory to the lawsuit, said Mr Skumanik’s threat was unconstitutional, and prosecution could have landed the girls on the sex offenders’ register, harming future job prospects.

“In many states these charges would land these kids on (sex offender) databases … for 10 years or more, and prevent them from getting many types of jobs,” said Witold Walczak, from the ACLU in Pennsylvania.

“That’s a heck of a lesson for a kid who probably doesn’t even realise she is doing something wrong.”

The New Jersey girl faces up to 17 years in jail if convicted of possession and distribution of child pornography. She could also be placed on a state register of sex offenders.

The girl has been released into her mother’s custody, and NorthJersey.com reported there may be more arrests on the way. “We consider this case a wake-up call to parents,” police said.