Facebook puts brakes on fast-spreading 'clickjacking' ruse

Facebook on Monday put the brakes on "clickjackers" that were duping people with a fake status update about someone getting revenge on an ex-girlfriend.

"We've disabled the page," Facebook said in an email response to an AFP inquiry.

"As always, we advise people not to click on suspicious-looking links, even if they're from friends."

The scam enticed Facebook users with a titillating status update of "OMG This GUY Went A Little To Far WITH His Revenge On His EX Girlfriend" that appeared to be from a friend.

In order to connect to the link provided, people were prompted to verify themselves by clicking on color coded boxes that actually triggered Facebook users' Share and Like buttons, spreading the message.

Tricking people into clicking on computer links that do other than what is promised is referred to as "clickjacking."

(c) 2010 AFP