Scam on Facebook steals debit card numbers

(WMC-TV) - My good friends at the Better Business Bureau and FraudAvengers are begging you. They're pleading with you.

Don't fall for a debit card discount offer on Facebook.

Both watchdog groups?have warned us about?an unsolicited offer on?Facebook pages. The offer:? 20 percent cash back if people link their debit cards to their Facebook pages.

I know, I know. Sounds insane, right?

The problem is there are perfectly sane people out there typing their debit card numbers on their Facebook profiles faster than you can say "identity theft," all for a fake 20 percent cut.

If you follow through, the BBB said you will launch a malware virus on your computer.

"The malware scam is particularly malicious because the fraudulent offers appear to come from trusted friends," said the BBB in its contribution to FraudAvengers.

BBB's and FraudAvengers' tips for avoiding Facebook scams:

• Never install a game or an application that you?re not entirely sure is legitimate.
• Be wary of posts from friends that use overtly promotional language.
• Never click on Facebook posts or install applications that claim they will tell you which of your friends viewed your profile. It?s impossible to find out who is viewing your profile.
• If you mistakenly install an application on Facebook, click the ?Home? icon in the top right-hand corner of the site, and go to ?Account Settings.? On the right-hand column of the page click on the icon that says ?Apps,? and uninstall the suspect application.

Copyright 2012 WMC-TV. All rights reserved.

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