HCG diet spam attack hits Facebook users, spreads rapidly

Many Facebook users are finding that their friends are announcing online that they have lost weight, and are directing others to follow the HCG diet.

Here’s a typical message:

I’ve lost 10 pounds in just one week all thanks to HCG! Check it out [LINK]

followed by a comment, seemingly from the same user, saying:

Never thought losing weight could be so easy!!!

Other versions can use different language, such as:

I’ve lost over a stone in just 2 weeks all thanks to HCG! Check it out [LINK]

If you follow the link, you are typically taken (via a blogspot url) to a website touting a miracle diet.

Of course, it would be something of a coincidence if so many thousands of Facebook users had all lost 10 pounds at the same time, and all decided to tell their Facebook friends using precisely the same wording, wouldn’t it?

If you see a Facebook friend…

Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

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Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is a veteran of the anti-virus industry having worked for a number of security companies since the early 1990s when he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Now an independent security analyst, he regularly makes media appearances and is an international public speaker on the topic of computer security, hackers, and online privacy. Follow him on Twitter at @gcluley, on Mastodon at @[email protected], or drop him an email.