LOL! It looks embarrassing.

This morning, my very good friend's Facebook was compromised by a phishing scam. Her Facebook sent a link to every one of her 755 Facebook friends (including myself) that said, "Heyy (name), What the heck are you doing in this video? LOL! It looks embarrassing." Following the short description, there was a link that, if followed, would direct the user to a false Facebook log-in page. The page looks legitimate, but anyone who enters their information (including email address and password) will have their Facebook compromised in the same way.

Most of us have seen scams like these and can easily tell which of these to avoid, but sometimes the line between legitimate social interaction and being taken advantage of by an evil scam is blurred and it is hard to tell. This site offers some valuable information so any Facebook user can distinguish between real and fake. The first and easiest way to tell is look at the person posting to your wall. If it is from a general acquaintance, do not click it. If you haven't talked to the person in a long time, chances are they won't be using their time to post "funny videos" on your wall. Secondly, check the URL in the link. My friend Missy's Facebook scam linked to www.facebook.com. This is a red alert, since videos aren't usually posted to Facebook. More often than not, a video will be from YouTube. Finally, if you happen to click a link and it tells you to enter your log-in information, DON'T! Facebook will NEVER ask for your information.

The whole debacle of these hacks and scams proves that we aren't as safe as we sometimes think on the internet. We are just as vulnerable on the web as we are walking down a dark alley in a foreign town. There are people out there that prey on the vulnerability of others just for personal gain, be it in the real world or on the internet. Be careful out there.