Facebook Cyber-Crooks Use ËœLeaked` Snapchats Again

Cyber-crooks are making money once again through Ëœleaked` snapchats that lure Facebook users to phishing websites, according to Spyware Sucks. Almost 800,000 users have been already invited to check out the tempting images used as bait to grab confidential data.

The series of ËœSnapchat` scams started to circulate in December 2013 when security experts warned of a website called leaked-snapchatz.com that was being promoted on Facebook.

“There are numerous Facebook pages that are nothing more than fronts for credential harvesting or other scams,” Security Architect Troy Hunt said in a December blog post.

“The heavy use of social media via mobile apps which don`t provide the same degrees of phishing protection as you find in browsers on the desktop increases the efficacy of these scams. Anything that attracts new victims is fair game, even if it means prospering from the death of others.”

After the web page in December was blocked by Google and antivirus solutions, a new one was created on an “.org” domain. The new phishing attack was also short-lived, as the tech giant marked the web site once again as scammy.

If users do end up on the web page, they are redirected to a fake Facebook login page where cyber-criminals ask for their credentials. Usernames and passwords are automatically gathered in a scammers` data base through a server they remotely control.

Bitdefender advises users to be careful when they log in to their social media accounts. Typing the web address directly in the browser and not using the same passwords on multiple services could help them avoid these scams. Enabling two-factor authentication and having an up-to-date security solution will also ensure anti-scam protection.

We also advise users to avoid joining Facebook communities titled ËœLEAKED SNAPCHAT 18+.` They rarely deliver what they offer.

On New Year`s Eve, Snapchat made security headlines after anonymous hackers leaked 4.6 million usernames and phone numbers. The company headed by 23-year-old Evan Spiegel accused Gibson Security of indirectly helping hackers breach the Snapchat data base.

Snapchat has become highly popular among Internet users, especially teenagers, because it allows them to send pictures and videos that self-destruct after a few seconds.