A viral post on Facebook claims there’s video footage of a “hungry bear” tearing “women into pieces in seconds,” but it’s merely a scam.
There is no video and the post--along with many similar fake video claims--are designed to spread bogus surveys that collect users’ personal information. The surveys make the scammers money.
The fake post reads: “[SHOCKING VIDEO] Hungry Bear Tearing Women into Pieces in a Few Seconds.” It continues: “They Dint Save here instead they filmed the footage.”
It includes a photo of what appears to be a polar bear and a woman in the water. The woman appears to be screaming. Despite there being a play button over the image, there is no video.
When a user clicks on the post, they will be taken to a fake site designed to look like Facebook, complete with comments about the video. In order to go further, one has to share the post, which ensures that the scam is spread even further.
After that, the website will display surveys that ask for users’ personal information, including e-mails, addresses, and phone numbers. This information can be sold to agencies as a profit for the scammers.
Some of these posts are known to contain malware or rogue Facebook apps.
The “hungry bear” post should not be shared, and if you’ve shared it, it’s recommended that you delete it.
Friends Read Free