Nobody needs ‘friends’ like these: Facebook users’ contacts make good phishing for scammers

The Boston Globe reports:

Sometimes it pays to be wary of your friends, especially if they are posting Facebook messages about must-see videos, free iPads, and Osama bin Laden death photos.


As more people turn to Facebook and Twitter for much of their online communicating, Internet scammers and spammers are trying to cash in by hijacking the names and images of users’ “friends’’ and “followers.’’ They use the stolen identities to place fake come-ons and shady pitches alongside all the funny pictures and snide remarks posted by people legitimately granted access to online accounts.