Skype-Related Facebook Wall Posts Likely Spam: Sophos

Online swindlers are hoping to cash-in from Facebook's recent integration with Skype by spamming those looking to use their social networking platform as a means to conduct video calling. Cyber scumbags are not only targeting individual users on Facebook, but all of their 'friends' as well.

According to a report posted on Sophos' Naked Security blog, the latest scam makes the video chat feature appear as a safe application (called "video call") and comes in the form of a Facebook wall post, enticing users to click onto a link dubbed "enable video calls".

As Sophos states, the format of the hoax renders the victim "easily convinced to approve the application to have more liberal permissions [to the users' PC]."

"Permission Form" Questionable

Clicking onto the bogus message reveals a permission form (purporting to be from Facebook) asking to access some basic personal information, permission to post to your wall, access the posts in your newsfeed and any other data at any time. (Source: yahoo.com)

However, Sophos has pointed out some noticeable issues with the permission request form for anyone who takes the time to read it. First, one should question why a form, supposedly from Facebook, would ask to access personal data at any time, since the social network can already do that.

Secondly, a video calling feature should not need to post to your wall and news feed at any time.

Referral Fees Collected with Each Click

The bottom line is that the scam does not let the user video chat at all, but simply entices them to fill out a number of surveys. Once the surveys are filled out, the scammers collect referral fees.

While this is more of an inconvenience than malicious in nature, the swindle nonetheless exposes your Facebook friends to the same scam, thus propagating. (Source: zdnet.com)

Sophos is encouraging would-be Facebook video calling users to download a legitimate version of the feature at facebook's true video calling page, configure a few Flash settings, and begin using the program for its intended purposes.