FACEBOOK SCAM ALERT – Make sure you don’t get caught out by THIS Christmas con

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Facebook users have been put on alert at Christmas about a scam being circulated

users have been warned about a Christmas scam that tries to trick people and take advantage of their generosity during the festive period.

Christmas is meant to be the time of giving, but con artists are capitalising on that in a cynical scam on Facebook that has reared its ugly head again.

Facebook fans have been put on alert about the ‘Secret Sister’ scam, which tries to get people to purchase a gift for a stranger.

The chain letter con claims if Facebook users purchase a gift worth $10 (£7) for a stranger they’ll get between six and 36 presents back in return.

It’s all allegedly part of the ‘Secret Sister’ Christmas gift exchange.

But as the old adage goes, if it’s too good to be true then it probably is.

One Facebook user posting about ‘Secret Sister’ wrote: “Anyone interested in a Christmas gift exchange? I don’t care where you live, you are welcome to join.

“I need 6 or more ladies of any age to participate in the secret sister gift exchange.

“You only have to buy one gift valued at $10 or more and send it to one secret sister, and you will receive 6 to 36 gifts in return!!”

Scammers have even gone so far as to post pictures allegedly of gifts they have received thanks to the post on Facebook.

But it’s all just a pyramid scheme, where people only profit by recruiting more people in the scam.

Once you have sent off a gift, you’re asked to post a pre-written message on your Facebook wall.

The post gives a step-by-step guide on how to take part in ‘Secret Sister’ – spreading news of the scam even further in the hope it goes viral.

The Better Business Bureau in America has been warning Facebook users to stay away from any ‘Secret Sister’ posts as it’s an “illegal scam”.

In a post on their official site, they said: “While gift exchanges grow in popularity during the holiday season, BBB advises consumers to use caution when choosing one in which to participate.”

The BBB added: “This is a typical pyramid scheme. This is on Facebook instead of the old way of using letters because social media allows it to spread a lot faster.

“Pyramid schemes are illegal either by mail or on social media if money or other items of value are requested with assurance of a sizeable return for those who participate.”

The ‘Secret Sister’ Facebook scam first appeared back in October 2015, and has made a yearly appearance since.

There is also a similar scam focused on wine, where you send a bottle of wine to one stranger and can allegedly get up to 36 bottles in return.

These Facebook scams all ask people to hand over personal information, including your home address.

The news comes after Facebook users were warned about another scam, this time delivered through Facebook Messenger.

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Facebook users have been warned about the ‘Secret Sister’ scam

Facebook users in September were alerted about a malware scam in which you receive messages from your friends with a link to a ‘YouTube video’.

The message sent via Facebook Messenger contains a bit.ly or t.cn link and the recipient’s first name plus the word “video”, according to Kaspersky Lab.

Once you click on the link you’re directed to a Google Doc page with what looks like a playable movie.

But when you try to click on the video, the malware directs a Facebook user to a series of websites and tracks sensitive information about the computer.

The page that appears after clicking on the link in Messenger message varies depending on the browser, location and operating system.

One page that appeared while using Google Chrome was a fake YouTube channel page with the YouTube logo.

Once on the page a fake error message tries to trick the user into downloading a malicious Google Chrome extension.

The Facebook scam was discovered by David Jacoby, a senior security researcher at cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab.

In a blog post, he said: “This malware was spreading via Facebook Messenger, serving multi platform malware/adware, using tons of domains to prevent tracking, and earning clicks. 

“The code is advanced and obfuscated.”