PCWorld - Beware the outlandish come-ons and pick-up lines you'll encounter when criminals are on the prowl.
What the average guy might call a con is known in the security world as social engineering. Social engineering is the criminal art of scamming a person into doing something or divulging sensitive information. These days, there are thousands of ways for con artists to pull off their tricks (See: Social Engineering: Eight Common Tactics). Here we look at some of the most common lines these people are using to fool their victims.
Social Networking Scams
"I'm traveling in London and I've lost my wallet. Can you wire some money?"
Social networking sites have opened a whole new door for social engineering scams, according to Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant with U.K.-based security firm Sophos. One of the latest involves the criminal posing as a Facebook "friend." They send a message or IM on Facebook claiming to be stuck in a foreign city and they say they need money.
"The claim is often that they were robbed while traveling and the person asks the Facebook friend to wire money so everything can be fixed," said Cluley.
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