It’s not so surprising to find that even today some sort of bogus, fraudulent scams still work and succeed in tricking people. Those, having learned from their mistakes know and have programmed themselves to avoid falling prey to such spams or nefarious tactics of cyber criminals. Despite all efforts, such social networking scams have become a growing menace.
InstLike Scam
Recently, the company that took beating at the hands of the cyperpunks was none other than the popular online photo-sharing site Instagram. The site has reportedly tricked over 100,000 users into a scam called “InstLike Scam
The scam asks a user to insert his username and password to get free followers and Likes, instantly. Many Instagram users unaware of the scam joined as participants of a giant “social botnet” following the download and sign up for the free app. The scheme even asked the joining participants to buy virtual coins to accrue more likes and followers.
The whole scam came into light after a data security firm Symantec spotted it in late October and revealed information about it. The firm reports the scam successfully survived scrutiny from Apple and Google for months. It was only after the report was submitted Symantec, Google and Apple removed the app from their respective stores.
Although the apps have been removed from Google Play and the App Store, the app’s site, InstLike.com, is still functioning. Symantec recommends users to change their passwords immediately rather than deleting the app from your phone.
How can you avoid joining such websites? Check if you are asked to share personal information, like an email address, or your password. No legitimate company would demand so, ever.
