A link which claims to point to a video of the death of Osama bin Laden has been spread virally across Facebook today, just hours after the death of the Al Qaeda leader.
The messages, posed as updates on Facebook users’ walls, claim to point to banned video footage of Osama bin Laden’s death:
SHOCKING NEW video of OSAMA BIN LADENS DEATH!!
Exclusive BANNED VDEIO footage of Osama Bin Laden being killed!!!
(In the screenshots used throughout this article we have obscured the image as some may find it disturbing).
Clicking on the link takes you to a Facebook page which urges you to like and share the link with your Facebook friends, before you can watch the “shocking” footage:
However, sharing the link with others just helps spread it further across the social network, and instead of a shocking video you are instead presented with an all-too-familiar survey which you are told you must complete before you can go any further.
The scammers earn money every time a survey is completed, and that’s why they want you to share the link with others.
Sophos is advising computer users to watch out for scams related to Osama bin Laden’s death, not just on Facebook but on other parts of the internet too. Such a big news story always seems to attract the interest of fraudsters and malware authors.
If you want to keep up-to-date on the latest scams, and are a member of Facebook, don’t forget to join the Sophos Facebook page to keep informed about the latest security news.
