A post that’s gone viral on Facebook claiming there’s “breaking news” that the “Malaysian Plane Crash Is FOUND” is just a scam spreading malware.
The post reads: “[BREAKING NEWS] Malaysian Plane Crash is FOUND!” Watch the [BREAKING NEWS] Malaysia Plane Crash Into Vietnam Sea MH370 Malaysia Airlines is FOUND!”
The post has an image of the 2013 plane crash in Bali, Indonesia, which injured 22 passengers.
It also features a play button over the image, but there is no video.
The post is merely trying to exploit users’ curiosity and concern over Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 370, which disappeared over the South China Sea last Friday.
When one clicks on the Facebook post, they’re directed to a site that looks like Facebook that says one has to share the post before going any further. This ensures that the post gains exposure, as it shows up on newsfeeds.
Upon going further, users are sent to a page that asks them to download video-playing software, which is likely malware. It’s not recommended to download the software.
There’s been other scam posts about the Malaysia Airlines plane being found.
It’s not recommended to share them on Facebook, “like” them, or click on them.
Variants of the scam can prompt users to download a rogue Facebook app that will automatically post to one’s newsfeed. The scam can also spread malware.
“Once they have shared as requested, users will then be taken to another fake page that supposedly hosts the video. However, a popup ‘Security Check’ window will appear that claims that they must prove that they are human by clicking a link and participating in an online survey or offer. But, no matter how many surveys or offers they complete, they will never get to see the promised video,” reads a posting from Hoax-Slayer.com.
Some scams ask users to fill out a survey. Their personal information will then be sold to online marketers, which is how the scammers make their money.
If you’ve given a rogue Facebook app access to your account, you should remove it. Go to your Facebook application settings page, and it will list all the applications that you’ve given apps access to. Click on the “X” next to the application name to remove it.
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