SPAM WARS Episode 1: Facebook Spam-Extermination Crash Course

SPAM WARS Episode 1: Facebook Spam-Extermination Crash Course

Getting tired of SPAM?

Seriously, how many times have we encountered this every time we log in to our Facebook accounts?

Don’t count. We know exactly how much spam you’ve seen this past week or two. They’re pretty much everywhere.

But here’s the thing with spam: it won’t spread if everyone knows how to avoid it.

So, here are some tips on how to spot and avoid suspicious spam links on Facebook:

1. Shortened links

If you’ve used Twitter, then you should be familiar with URL shortening sites. Thanks to Twitter’s 140-character limit, users often cannot fit links inside that limit and URL shorteners were invented to tackle this problem.

Thing is, Facebook users don’t need to use URL shorteners in their posts, since obviously you can add longer links in your posts without having a 140-character limit bug you off.

Next time, don’t click a link if you see your friend post a shortened URL coupled with:

2. A caption that makes you REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to click the link.

“You can finally see who views your profile! Just click here:”
“Hey, is this really you in this video?”
“Check out my profile <insert your name here>! I edited it using this”
“OMG! I just watched Osama bin Laden’s death video here”
“To prevent SPAM, click the Verify Account link below.”

I know this might be hard, but DON’T CLICK ANY OF THESE LINKS!

As appetizing as these links might taste, there’s a 99% chance that they’re links to SPAM apps and harmful javascript code that can really mess up your profile and even use it to send SPAM links to your friends.

Keep away from them. But if you really want to click a link, ask your friend first if she really did post that link herself.

3. Suspicious chat links.

If a friend of yours suddenly chats with you with a link, there’s a big chance that it’s SPAM.

Sometimes, spam apps can use your name and use it to convince you that it’s a legitimate link he’s sending. Here’s an example:

Notice that the message mentions the name of the user to further convince the user that it’s a legitimate message from a friend. Sneaky, sneaky.

4. If you accidentally clicked a suspicious link and leads you to an App Install page with LOTS of permissions, then that is a spam.

Be scared.

Obvious spam app is obvious. Don’t install.

Those are just a few tips on how to spot Facebook spam and avoiding them. Stay tuned for the next part of this article, where we’ll give you even more tips on spotting and avoiding Facebook spam.