I Watch 'Em So You Don't Have To

WHY FACEBOOK IS NOT YOUR FRIEND

I have been having problems lately with Facebook (says every user in the known internet world). One of the most frustrating things about Facebook is that people go by the creed that if something is in print, it must be true. Bloody freaking hell do I get a lot of garbage on my page of rumors, scams and just plain idiots.

My constant battle for truth often gets me in hot water with my 'friends'. As you know, actually, most of the people you probably have on your Facebook page are not really your personal 'friends'. They're either people who know people you know, people you play games with, or just strangers that you happened to take a chance with and decide to add them to your page. I think among those on my page, probably about 1/4 are people I personally know. And even they are sometimes prey to those that print anything and pass it on 'just in case' whether it be a lie or not.

I'm not popular on Facebook, mostly for just this reason. I can't and don't let this kind of garbage go. I just can't. The statement 'it can't hurt to pass it on' is a bunch of shi... uh, garbage. In one recent case, a person maliciously posted a statement saying a certain person was wanted for raping children. It was copied and shared over 15,000 times. There wasn't a shred of truth, proof or evidence that it was real. But that man is a pariah. Can't hurt, huh?

There have been fake Amber alerts, fake sick baby hoaxes, photoshopped pictures passed around as fact, medicine or health tips that are either just plain wrong or dangerous or at least misleading. Can't hurt, huh? One we were warned we would see and sure enough it's started is this:

“Looks like I won’t be going to work EVER!!!! Share this photo and I will give a random person 1 million dollars!”

Article: Hopeful (and gullible) Facebook users wasted no time spreading this message far and wide across the platform. At the time of this writing, the photo has received over 550,000 shares!

For those of you that don’t know, the Powerball lottery paid out 588 million dollars this week (5/24/13), and Nolan (if that is even his real name) is using the event as a way to dupe thousands of people. One of my own friends shared the photo, and when I called them out on it I got the typical response: “I figured it wasn’t true, but why not try?”

The image wasn’t genuine and has been photoshopped. It has also been pointed out that on a legitimate ticket, the numbers would be presented from the smallest to the largest, and this photo clearly shows numbers out of order.

Before getting caught up in the moment, always take a few moments and verify Facebook rumors, updates and posts. It might save you some embarrassment from looking really silly to your friends! End Article

The trouble is, the phrase 'it can't hurt' can hurt plenty. I get more grief for posting links telling of fake photos or stories you'd think I'd just stop. I mean, it's not like I'm never wrong - I'm wrong A LOT. But I'm willing to admit it and correct it. Others - not so much. In fact, posting on the above 'community page' of this scammer got me spanked by Facebook and I had to file a protest - but right now I'm banned from making 'public comments'. Nice, huh?

Another that is constant and annoying as hell are those stories that take up your whole damn page about some impassioned speech given by somebody... trouble is, it wasn't. The story usually is a compilation of different quotes from different people, attributed to a respected person, usually an actor (Morgan Freeman or Bill Cosby for example). And because it's been told so often to be fake, some people have actually posted 'I know (whoever was listed as the author) didn't write this but I agree with it'. Like that makes it okay. And makes me just that much more unpopular. Here's another:

Article: It’s a common sight on Facebook: people posting images, videos or statuses and asking users to like or comment on them. The posts usually contain some sort of promise, like “if you type ‘MOVE’ into the comments section, watch what happens to the image,” or “if this status gets 100,000 likes, I will run a marathon.” These types of viral posts, benign though they may seem, are actually a form of a Facebook scam called “Like Farming.”

These posts work by slowly gathering likes for a Facebook page, usually full of innocent content like famous quotes or photos. However, the true purpose of these pages is often to gain enough traction in Facebook’s algorithm to begin appearing in users’ news feeds. The owners of the page can then post advertising and links that reach a much wider audience because of the groundwork they’ve laid by collecting likes. They can link to whatever products or sites they wish, including products that they may receive a commission on or identity-stealing malware. 

Some of these like-gathering pages are even listed for sale in online forums, despite violating Facebook’s Terms of Use. (The AOL story linked to above mentions a Facebook page about cuddling with over 1 million likes that is listed for sale at $7,000.) Facebook users should be both smart and selective about what they like. The act of liking a page can associate a user with that page’s content, and with these underhanded “Like Farming” pages, it’s best not to give them what they want. End Article

People who do this are often called 'like whores' - not very nice but very, very accurate. They're people willing to post anything to get tons of likes on their pages. THEY WILL USE ANYTHING. Here is one more that comes up constantly and probably always will. So if I lose people who think I have nothing better to do than expose all the lies others post on my page, so be it. I could use a smaller 'friend' list anyway:

Scam Message: Who Viewed Your Profile – Introducing the new “Who Viewed Your Profile” feature on facebook!

                

The scam creators cleverly import the profile pictures of the user’s Facebook friends to make the scam appear more legitimate.

Scam Type: Profile Viewer, Rogue Browser Extension

Trending: March 2013

Why it’s a Scam:

Clicking the scam link takes you to an external website and you are prompted to install the browser extension shown below:



We decided to stop here, and we advise you to do the same.

It’s important to remember that anything offering to show you who has viewed or visited your profile is certain to be a scam. Facebook doesn’t allow developers access to the data required to create such apps or extensions. In fact, here is Facebook’s own help topic on the subject:

Can I know who’s viewing my profile (timeline) or how often it’s being viewed?

How to Deal with the Scam:

If you did make the mistake of installing the rogue browser extension, then use the guide shown below to remove it:

How to Protect Your Facebook Account From Rogue Browser Extensions

If you or your Facebook friends are falling for tricks like this, it’s time to get yourself informed of the latest threats. Be sure to join the Facecrooks page on Facebook to be kept informed of the latest security issues.

https://www.facebook.com/dumbandboringmovies