Application security, Threat Management

The anatomy of a Facebook gift card scam

With holiday shopping season about to kick into full swing, opportunists are lurking on social media sites, notably Facebook, with the goal of tricking users into clicking on lures that appear like shopping discounts, but actually are links to spam sites.

Troy Hunt, a software architect and Microsoft MVP, picked apart one recent scam that spread among Aussie Facebook users to determine exactly how such a ruse functions -- particularly how it spreads and how it makes money for the individuals behind it.

He joined us on the SC Magazine Podcast to discuss his analysis and explain why spammers seem to be migrating away from email and onto social media. He also offered some advice for what sites like Facebook, as well as end-users, can do to mitigate these scams.

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