Recent Facebook Scams and Annoyances to Watch out for

I guess FBaction and FBstarter were the start of a trend after all. Since so many Facebook Phishing scams and other nuisances have been popping up lately, I decided it would be best to compile them into one post.

Here is the list of the recent Facebook phishing scams and bogus ads, according to their common names:

• FBaction - redirects the user to fbaction.net via link in an email or Facebook message
  
• FBstarter - redirects the user to fbstarter.com via link in an email or Facebook message
• Joonias - Facebook message advertises the site joonias.net as a shop
  
• Kromked - may include a captcha field that essentially redirects to sabl.ru

Of the above scams, I only actually received the Joonias.net one. It was simply a Facebook message with the word "hello" as the subject. The body contained the following text:

joonias.net - best shop!!

Yep, that's it. I tried going to the site in order to test the severity of the threat, and it looks like it is now just bringing up an "Address not found" error. Considering how fast Facebook addressed the FBaction scam, I wouldn't be surprised if they took action to get these sites shut down just as quickly. Kromked and Joonias appear to be attempts to increase the value of the respective domain names by drawing in hits, while FBaction and FBstarter are blatant attempts to steal sensitive information. Still, it is best to just avoid them in any case (Yeah, I tested them for your safety... I'm just too self-sacrificing right?).

As always, use of common sense and the following general guidelines will keep you and your information safe:

• Do not click on any links that contain "fbstarter", "fbaction", "joonias", "kromked", or "sable.ru" in them
• Avoid putting any extra sensitive informaiton on your Facebook account, such as credit card numbers
• Always make sure you are at the official Facebook website page when you are logging in - the URL will simply be http://www.facebook.com/
• Keep good antivirus and antispyware software on your computer just in case (see this post for some suggestions on both FREE and paid antivirus and antispyware software)

FBstarter: Another Facebook Phishing Scam to Look Out for

Yesterday, it was the FBaction Facebook phishing scam that caused a great deal of commotion. Today's Facebook phishing scam is known as FBstarter (let's hope this is not the start of a trend here). Similarly to FBaction, Facebook users may receive a message containing a link that directs them to fbstarter.com. This site looks like a normal Facebook login page, but if the user logs in from this page, the login credentials will be sent right to the scammer.

So, here's what to do in order to make sure your information is not exploited:

• Do not click on any links that contain "fbstarter" or "fbaction" in them
• Avoid putting any extra sensitive informaiton on your Facebook account, such as credit card numbers
• Always make sure you are at the official Facebook website page when you are logging in - the URL will simply be http://www.facebook.com/

All in all, as long as you follow these steps and use common sense, you should be fine and will not be affected by this Facebook phishing scam.

Gaia Online: Better Teen Hangout than the Mall?

Online social networks and interaction tools of all kinds have been growing in popularity for a while now (Read: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.). One interesting "online hangout" that has been gaining ground lately is Gaia Online. Consisting of social networking, forums, news, events, gaming, and much more, it is an extremely diverse place to interact with people having tons of different interests.

According to Gaia:

Founded in 2003, Gaia Online is the leading online hangout on the web. More than seven million visitors come to Gaia every month to make friends, play games, watch movies in Gaia Cinemas, Gaia's virtual theaters, and participate in the world's most active online community. Gaia provides a fun, social environment that inspires individuality and creativity. With everything from art contests to discussion forums on poetry, politics, celebrities and more, to fully customizable profiles, digital characters and cars, Gaia is a place where teens can create their own space and express their individual style.

The site also claims to have over 100,000 transactions taking place in the "Gaia economy" each day.

Sounds interesting to you? Head over to Gaia Online for more information and see what you think. The site seems to be mostly geared toward teens, but then again Facebook was only for college students at first ...

Kenneth Lewis Removed as Bank of America Chairman

Kenneth Lewis has officially been removed as chairman of Bank of America, but will remain on as CEO and President. Even before the results of the final vote from the Bank of America shareholder meeting were announced, Bank of America shares rose 53 cents to $8.68, a 6.5% increase. The move seemed inevitable as Lewis was widely criticized for not making shareholders aware of Merrill Lynch and Co.'s problems immediately after he found out about them. In addition, many did not approve of the merger with Merrill Lynch that took all too little time to finalize.

Walter E. Massey, formerly President of Morehouse College and Director of the National Science Foundation, will take the place of Lewis as Bank of America Chairman.

Make Money Online as a Personal Virtual Assistant

Some people like desk jobs, and some people don't. If you are looking for some more freedom, or just hate to be away from your spouse and children during the work day, you might want to look a little further into getting a job as a Personal Virtual Assistant (VA).

You might be thinking that it sounds too good to be true, especially after that deceiving Process at Home "opportunity". However, this is actually a legitimate opportunity to pursue. And, there is even potential to earn even more than you might be making already. If you are dependable and do your job well, chances are you will be offered even better positions in the future.

Here are some of the duties a VA could be responsible for:

• Maintaining public relations with clientele
• Coordinating and managing events
• Daily scheduling / keeping track of meetings and appointments
• Paying bills or document maintenance
• Other technical, social, or managerial duties

Probably the best way to obtain a position as a Virtual Assistant is to apply for employment with a placement agency. The agency will take your resume into consideration to find the best possible position available for you.