Survey scams lead to Android malware
Posted by: TimW on 05/20/2013 10:53 AM
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Just as the popular sites like FaceBook and Twitter have seen the ubiquitous survey scams, it has now come to Instagram. The scam leads to a download of malware. You may see something like this if your account is set to private.
Figure 1. Screenshot of Instagram request
Figure 2. Get Free Followers Post on Instagram
Another thing is that these Instagram followers have repetitive account names like âTawna Tawnaâ and âConcetta Concettaâ.
Figure 3. Screenshot of sample spamming account
Clicking on this this âGet Free Followersâ picture leads to this page that supposedly offers the âGet Followersâ app. This app is detected by Trend Micro as ANDROIDOS_GCMBOT.A, which can be used to launch malicious webpages or send SMS from the device.
Figure 4. Page offering âGet Free Followerâ app
To protect yourself against this scam, you must always double-check posts on your social media accounts, even if they come from friends, family members, or known acquaintance. Caution is your best defense
Another thing is that these Instagram followers have repetitive account names like âTawna Tawnaâ and âConcetta Concettaâ.
Clicking on this this âGet Free Followersâ picture leads to this page that supposedly offers the âGet Followersâ app. This app is detected by Trend Micro as ANDROIDOS_GCMBOT.A, which can be used to launch malicious webpages or send SMS from the device.
To protect yourself against this scam, you must always double-check posts on your social media accounts, even if they come from friends, family members, or known acquaintance. Caution is your best defense
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