How to identify scams and rogue apps on Facebook

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Thieves, scammers and other frauds love to target populated networks to victimize. Facebook is is a common target for schemers because of the potential large payoff. With over 1 billion members and staying strong, Facebook is by far one of the most popular stops on the web for many Internet users. And fraudsters know it.


As a result, it has not been uncommon to find many rogue applications have made their way onto Facebook and rapidly spread. The bad news is some of these frauds can be pretty malicious. The good news is that by using caution and learning the key characteristics of these scams and rogue apps, you can help protect yourself from becoming a victim.

Here are a few things to look for when learning to identify scams and rogue apps on Facebook:

Urgency or plea on emotions

If you see an urgent sounding message that is listed on multiple friends’ news feeds, this is the first thing to look at. If there is no variation and everyone has the same message, this could indicate a rogue application, especially if it gives directions to “click this link” or “view this video” and it sounds frightening, gives a warning or some other urgent appeal.

Typically, these kinds of messages will sound pressing and push for people to open it. This is a typical characteristic of social engineering tactics which work to convince individuals to try to behave the way the scammers want them to, in this case, clicking a link and allowing the rogue application or scam access to a profile.

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Many of the best scams try to play on the sympathies or try to invoke fear in others.

Intriguing title

One of the best tricks scammers use to spread their malware is to generate intrigue. They create a fake application, program, link or executable program and disguise it as some kind of enticing appeal to convince users to click. While intriguing titles are fascinating, be wary of them. A good percentage of the time these could contain harmful programming code.

Copy and paste code

Legitimate applications and pages on Facebook do not typically ask you to copy/paste code into your browser. It is a good idea to steer clear of any directives that try and tell you otherwise. If you do this, this could lead you to compromise your account.

Watch out for fake videos

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This could be a post of its own, but beware of any of those wild-sounding or sensational video descriptions and links. Before clicking, do a search with your favorite search engine and, if it’s real, chances are it’s somewhere in the news. Never click on these links, as they are infamous for spreading spam and/or compromising your account and/or computing device.

Rogue Facebook applications and links can spread malware, steal data, or often aim to collect user profiles and use them as launching pads to send out spam. Of course the fake apps could always end up being annoying advertising, but whatever the case, it is good to avoid. A good general rule of thumb to follow with Facebook, or any other website or interaction, is to never click on links you aren’t sure what they are, do not download anything you haven’t sought out and to be aware of strange requests, especially those that try to tug at your emotions, get you intrigued or instill a sense of fear. Fortunately, Facebook has gotten a lot better over the years with filtering out the junk. Yet, you never know what scams may crop up.

While a part of the Facebook experience is interacting with the various applications, be mindful that each time you approve one, you are allowing access to your profile information and you give up a level of privacy each time. Learn how to identify scams and rogue apps and you and your personal information will be safer for it.