Facebook scams try to capitalize on Steve Jobs' death

It didn't take long for scammers to jump onto the news of Steve Jobs' death and exploit it for their own nefarious ends. Scams, hoaxes, and fraudulent promotions have been popping up all over the internet, with most focusing on Facebook.

To put it simply: Apple is not giving away free iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, iPods, or Apple ][ computers in memory of Steve Jobs, despite what you may have heard. Anything that you read otherwise is a scam — something to be deleted or at least ignored.

Act first, think later
One version of the post reads:

In memory of Steve, a company is giving out 50 ipads tonight. R.I.P. Steve Jobs [link redacted]

The assumption (as with many of these scams) is that unsuspecting visitors will click the link to try their luck, before being faced with an online survey or two to see if they are "qualified." Within just a few short hours of Jobs' death, more than 15,000 people had clicked on one of the more prevalent hoaxes. The site one used geolocation technology to determine where their browsers were in the world and then presented localized surveys. People would see one result if they were in Kansas and another if they were from London.

A full-page "Congratulations!" message with instructions on "how to claim" is often enough to make hopeful winners think twice; pausing on this screen then prompts an audio message trying to convince you to click. It's interesting to note that this audio recording makes no mention of iPads, Apple, or the late Mr. Jobs.

As we've mentioned previously, these scammers are hoping to make money through advertising and affiliate accounts. They'll make a few cents for every click they send to a predetermined website. Visitors tend to be bombarded with plenty of online contests and competitions alongside the surveys — and a high percentage of online casinos.

It could be worse
Another alternative: scammers who redirect your well-meaning attention to yet another website laced with malicious code that may infect your computer with a virus or malware.

There's even a third alternative used by scammers in these situations. In order to "claim your free iPad," you'll be asked to enter in some personal details. Of course, those details include your credit card number for "verification purposes" — and it shouldn't surprise you that any information entered into a scheme like this will be stolen and used to commit identity fraud.

Watch what you share
Another related post on social networks relies on human nature to help spread itself around.

In Memory of Steve Jobs, we're Giving Away 1000 iPad 2's
[Link]
To celebrate the life of Steve, we have decided to give away 1000 iPad 2's to honour Steve, who passed away earlier this week.

That link, British spelling and poor grammar intact, takes you to a website that stresses there are "only a small number" of free iPads remaining and that the offer will expire in just a few days. You are told to click the Share button to spread the word among all of your Facebook friends and to add a simple comment on the page: "Thank you, Steve."

Obviously, no iPads are being given away. By both sharing the post and commenting on it, you're extending the scam's reach.

Plenty more where that came from
However, it's not just iPads that pull in the interest! iPhones are also "being given away" in memory of the former Apple CEO. One popular scam version, operating much like the second we've mentioned, asks you to click Share and post "Thank you Steve from [City]" to receive a limited edition iPhone.

What about a free black MacBook (also spelled "Mackbook" on some poorly spellchecked scams; obviously, their perpetrators aren't successful enough to hire editors)? Yep, scammers claim to have those, too. Again, Share, Like, post "RIP Steve," and it's as good as yours. (Of course it isn't!)

Trustworthy tributes
Even if you're not suckered in by the offer of free hardware (and let's face it, those offers really do sound pretty fishy), there's an even sneakier method of stealing your money and your personal information while you're trying to do a good thing. A clever scammer has set up a website that promises to "donate to Steve's favorite charities" as a tribute. All you need to do is enter your credit card details, and the site will do the rest. Unfortunately, "the rest" in this case is — again — identity fraud, and probably cleaning out your wallet in the process.

Other options
If you've been touched by Steve Jobs' legacy and would like to pay your respects, the best place is the official Apple website, which has set up an email address (rememberingsteve@apple.com) specifically to handle the influx of condolences. If you'd prefer to make a financial donation, choose a charity you think echoes the sentiments Jobs lived for — education, technology, children — or, of course, cancer research. You can easily make the donation in his name without exposing yourself to these worms trying to take advantage of your love of Apple.

[Image credits: Cheon Fong Liew, Veronica Belmont, Tatsuo Yamashita, Tony McNeill]

Leave a comment