Don’t Be Fooled: Facebook Cancellation Option is Fake, Installs Malware Instead

A lot of people love Facebook, while many more just can't wait to leave the social network. Unfortunately, there's no way for you to delete every bit of your personal information on the site because Facebook doesn't allow users to delete or cancel accounts. All users can do instead is deactivate their accounts.

On a related note, a new scam that is possibly linked to the Mal/SpyEye-B malware has just surfaced that takes advantage of some users' desires to call it quits--permanently--with Facebook.

So how is it being spread? Cybercriminals are randomly sending email messages to users asking them to either confirm or deny a Facebook account cancellation request by clicking on the appropriate link. Once clicked, they will then be redirected to a Facebook app page that will prompt them to install an unknown Java applet. When allowed to run, a message will pop up to tell you that Adobe Flash must be updated--but what you'll get instead of an update is a backdoor Trojan.

We are sending you this email to inform you that we have received an account cancellation request from you. Please follow the link below to confirm or cancel this request.

-- Facebook account cancellation scam email

So if you ever do get an email about a cancellation request, don't click on any of the links in the message and delete it right away. If you want to deactivate your account, you can always head on over to your Facebook account settings to do so.

Article by Hazel Chua
Gigadgetry: Cool Gadgets, Tech News, Quirky Devices