Steve Jobs R.I.P. Scam Hits Facebook Promising Free iPads
The news of the death of the creator and chairman of Apple, Steve Jobs, has been a big blow to the technology world. Of course, scammers waste no time in using these kinds of events to their advantage.
Just hours after Steve Jobs' death, a new scam appeared on Facebook. This scam attempted to lure computer users into completing online surveys with the promise of free iPads as a way to commemorate Steve Jobs' death. Facebook users that click on the link for this scam are taken to a page where, to qualify for this offer, they have to fill in an online survey. In only a few hours, more than fifteen thousand people had already been tricked into clicking on the link for this scam as shown in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1. 'RIP Steve Jobs' Facebook scam link posted on a computer user's Facebook wall leading to survey phishing page.
There's absolutely no chance that any of the people that clicked on this link will receive a free iPad. This is simply a way to trick people into entering one of many common advertising websites promising an 'exclusive reward.' Hackers make money by affiliate marketing, earning a certain amount of money for each person that reaches the websites behind this scam through their own links.
By convincing people to take online surveys or participate in fake lotteries, hackers can make a lot of money. Most of the websites associated with this scam are online gambling websites. You can be sure that this is not the last scam that attempts to profit from the death of Steve Jobs. Just hours after his death, other scammers have started offering fake lotteries and supposed special offers from Apple. It is simply a fact of life that there will always be unscrupulous people willing to profit in these kinds of ways.
Do not fall for this scam. Take a minute to think carefully before clicking on any of these supposed special offers; this is the best way to protect yourself from Facebook scams of this nature. A little common sense can often do more to protect you than the most powerful anti-malware application.