A message on Facebook saying that 16 people died in a Universal Studios Theme Park roller coaster accident in Orlando, Florida, is a scam.
The fake post reads: “OMG!!! Leaked CCTV video caught the accident in Universal Studios Theme Park in Orland, Florida. It shows that 16 people already dead after the roller coaster was departed from the rails and crashed into the ground. There are 24 passengers all in all, 16 dead and 8 are in critical condition. This video will not be televised on air as requested of the family for privacy. Please continue with discretion. Watch this video here.”
There’s another variation of the message from “Fox Breaking News,” which is also a scam.
There is no video and the post merely leads the user to a fake Facebook phishing page that attempts to trick users into giving up their login information.
Those who give their details will be taken to a page that has surveys, which ask for more personal information.
It is not recommended to share the post, “like” the post, fill out one’s password or other information, or fill out a survey.
“Users who do click the link in the hope of seeing the accident footage will first be taken to a fake Facebook page and asked to login with their account email address and password. To make the login request seem more legitimate, a message on the fake page will claim that an email address entered ‘does not belong to any account’. Thinking that an error has occurred, some users may enter their Facebook login details as requested,” reads a message from Hoax-Slayer about the scam.
As a result, the scammers could get ahold of one’s Facebook account and spam out the messages even further.
If you believe that you have filled out your password and user account name via the phishing scam, it is recommended that you change your password.
The survey pages say they will give out prizes in exchange for their mobile phone number, address, and other personal information.
However, this will “actually subscribe them to absurdly expensive SMS subscription services. Or, they may be asked to provide personal information as part of an offer. This information may later be sold to online marketing outfits and used to bombard victims with unwanted and annoying emails, surface mail, text messages and phone call,” says Hoax-Slayer.
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