Wouldn’t it be cool if we could find out who was checking us out on Facebook?
Maybe a long lost friend… or an ex-friend, ex-husband or ex-wife… perhaps a business competitor – or yikes – our employer!
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) released a statement on Friday saying that certain Facebook apps are claiming they can track and tell FB users who is looking at their profile. But can they really?
Apparently not, the BBB says “It’s a scam.” The organization, which often alerts the public to fraudulent schemes, used their statement to warn Facebook users not to trust apps which claim they can tell the user who is looking at their Facebook profile.
The BBB went so far as to name some specific apps that don’t do what they say: the “Facebook Profile Viewer” and the “Profile Visitor.”
The BBB said the apps claim that Facebook has a new update in place that will allow Facebook users to see who has viewed their profile. Users that click on the link are asked to provide access to their Facebook profile (as many legit apps do). Once access has been granted, instead of tracking visitors, the app simply starts posting on the user’s FB page, asking all their friends to download the app too.
That’s not the worst of it though. According to the BBB, the apps have the potential to grab personal information from the users profile, compromising their personal data.
Facebook’s policies back up the BBB’s warning. On Facebook’s website, it says “Facebook does not provide a functionality that enables you to track who is viewing your profile (timeline), or parts of your profile (timeline).” Facebook goes on to say that apps that claim to do this will be removed from Facebook. The company provides instructions for reporting violations here.
Have you seen these apps on Facebook? Have you let one access your profile? Tell us about your experience in the comments section below.
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