Facebook to charge $4.99 per month in June?

Not true. Just a few weeks ago, if you’re an active Facebook user, you may have read that Facebook was going to start charging $4.99 to use the service starting at the end of June 2010. Here’s a snippet of the message that circulated last month:

There is a website that has over 83,000 members of people protesting the following… WE’RE AGAINST THE 4.99 A MONTH CHARGE FOR FACEBOOK FROM JUNE 30TH 2010 See website here…

[website address removed]

Thankfully, this was just one of many Facebook-related hoaxes that circulate the web. (The bigger the site, the bigger the target, the bigger the audience.) Unfortunately, the bogus message caused real problems for many people who decided to look into the web site and Facebook group it promoted.

Many who visited the web site clicked on certain elements which initiated a hijacking attempt on their computers. Further clicking resulted the downloading of malware, spyware, and “highly objectionable images” to the visiting computer.

Shortly after a counter message began circulating among Facebook users and friends alerting them to the harmful effects of the phony Facebook group and web site. (I received copies of both messages. I ignored the first, and said “Just as I thought” to the second.) The warning messages looked something like this:

WARNING: DO NOT JOIN the group We are against paying $4.99 for Facebook – IT’s A VIRUS AND HACKER! There are extremely graphic images at the website they suggest you visit. FACEBOOK has no plans on charging us. ELIMINATE THIS GROUP from your groups & run your spyware ASAP. REPOST THIS AS YOUR STATUS on your Profile. Thanks

Do you think, or know, you were a victim of this insidious hoax?

The problem with malware and spyware is its hard to detect, and its becoming an ever more common problem. Even more problematic than virus attacks.

Best Buy’s Geek Squad will charge any where from $200—$300 to remove spyware from your computer, but I strongly recommend you purchase Spyware Doctor software from PC Tools. It costs only $39.95 and can be installed on up to 3 computers. I recommend Spyware Doctor over any other antispyware program on the market today, but it’s not available in stores.

Only have one computer? Why not ask a friend or relative if they’d like to split the cost with you? You can have PC Tools mail you a CD copy for $9.95.

Read more Skylarking articles about Internet and email hoaxes circulating the web:

• Postcard from Hallmark Hoax
• UPS/FedEd/DHL Email Hoax with Virus
• Truth About Email Petitions
• CNN Daily Top Ten Email Spam

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Recommended Updates: Adobe Flash Player

This is part 2 of a two-part article.

This past Tuesday I was discussing how hackers are exploiting flaws in other programs you may have installed on your computer or laptop. First, I discussed run-time Java code from Sun Microsystems, and today I’ll follow up with Adobe Flash Player.You should make sure that these two programs on your computer are up-to-date.

Whether you have a PC or a Mac, there’s a 99.9% likelihood that you have this software on your computer; and regardless of your OS, flaws in these two programs can be exploited by hackers and affect your computer. Much ballyhoo is made about Mac’s safety from viruses, but the exploits I’m discussing aren’t viral.

What is Adobe Flash Player? Which version do you have?

Sample version check image

Adobe Flash is used on many web sites these days. Just about any animation or movement you see when you are visiting a web page is handled by the Flash software installed on your computer. Flash is also used for some video web sites such as Youtube. And there are also a lot of web sites that have games that are designed using the Adobe Flash program.

Whenever you access one of these Flash-enabled sites, the Flash software on your computer goes to work behind the scenes, but if your Flash software is outdated you might be vulnerable to hacker attacks. As of Sept. 2009 the most current version of the Adobe Flash Player is 10.0.32.18. You can check your installed version of Adobe Flash Player here.

Updating Adobe Flash Player

Updating Adobe Flash Player is very easy to do. Just go to Adobe’s Flash Player Installation page here (http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/). Then click “Agree and install now” on that page. They often include some optional software with the download such as Google’s toolbar or some antivirus software. It isn’t necessary to download those programs when your get Adobe Flash Player, so you can clear those check boxes by clicking them before clicking “Agree and install now”.

Adobe's Download Manager (DLM)

You might receive some additional instructions from Adobe for proper installation on your specific computer, operating system, and web browser. In some cases you may need to restart your computer, or close and reopen your web browser. Oftentimes the software installer will do this automatically for you.

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FTC Puts an end to “Robocalls” tomorrow

Ever get one of those automated phone calls with the taped (okay, recorded) voice? Most of the time its telling you about something you have no interest in, and you can tell right away you’re not interested, and now you have the added aggravation as you realize the “person” at the other end doesn’t even want to talk to you about it personally.

Well, many, many, many of those calls become history today. Sept. 1 marks the end of the pre-recorded telemarketing “robocall “.

The Federal Trade Commission** said it is banning “robocalls” to consumers, unless the telemarketer has “written permission” from a customer that they want to receive these calls. (Ooo! Ooo! Sign me up, please! …Not!)

Now, perhaps you noticed, I said “many” and not “all”. Did you see that? No? You didn’t? … Oh … you did? Yeah, well, don’t worry, there’s no catch, … really. There will be some automated calls that are allowed without written permission. For example, informative calls like flight cancellations, prescriptions from your doctor or pharmacist, delivery notices, and debt collectors calls will be allowed.

Hmm. I can happily live with the first three, but can I opt out of the last one? (Probably not).

Franly, there are a lot of other annoying calls that are still permitted, and those also include calls from politicians, charities, banks, insurers, phone companies, and survey calls. Why aren’t they banned, too? Because this is an FTC or Federal Trade Commission ruling, and not an FCC or Federal Communications Commission ruling. The FTC deals with trade and sales, not communications. Since the latter calls aren’t selling anything (at least not for money) they they aren’t part of the FTC’s jurisdiction.

Rats! What a difference one letter makes.

By the way, this kinda does away with the do-not-call list, and as of tomorrow no one should be receiving these “most” of these calls anymore; and if you do, now you can file a complaint with the commission at www.FTC.gov or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP. Under the new rules violators can expect to pay a $16,000 fine.

Loophole: This doesn’t put an end to annoying “live” calls. The robots may have lost some jobs here; but humans are still permitted to pick up the phone and personally annoy their fellow man (or woman).

** Think about who put this out. It’s important later.

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