Justin Bieber Was NOT Stabbed: Thank Goodness

I was reluctant to write about Justin Bieber, but judging by my Facebook wall, it seems that this scam is targeting adults too. It’s another Justin Bieber scam and sadly enough, it’s really hot. It’s definitely a double-take headline shocker.

Bieber was allegedly stabbed by a crazed fan outside a NY nightclub (yes, that’s right folks again). To raise the stakes, it includes a photo of Bieber wounded. It’s no wonder people are clicking. After all it’s only natural to be worried about this teen heartthrob. And when readers feel shocked, they are less likely to check legitimate news websites to see if the headlines are legitimate. Perfect for the cybercriminals.

But alas, it’s just another Facebook scam. Users who click on the link to satisfy their curiosity are asked to first share the link, which helps the scam to spread at a viral pace. Then they are redirected to a survey page first before they are going to receive more information. Disappointing.

So why a survey scam? The scammers earn commission from every survey completed and also capture your personal information. They are simply using and abusing this scandalous headline as a way to drive victims to their survey page.

If you were tricked into falling for this scam, be a hero and help stop it in its tracks. Remove the message from your newsfeed and delete any messages you unintentionally shared with friends. And you can even take it one step further and report the link as spam, which when enough complaints are accumulated compels Facebook to stop the scam.

Beiber fans can rest peacefully now. And for the rest of us, exercise caution with scandals, free stuff, and sex headlines spread through social networking sites. Until next time, safe Facebooking.