Facebook users targeted by 'dislike' button scam

Facebook users have been warned to ignore a scam that appears to offer a tool many have been asking for.

The scam offers people the chance to add a ‘Dislike’ button to their profile, alongside the legitimate ‘Like’ button, which they can use to express a negative opinion of their friends' posts.

The scam instead directs users to a survey, from which those behind the ‘Dislike’ button tool make a profit. The ‘Dislike’ application also gets access to personal information that the user has chosen to share.

Security software company Sophos said the scam was spreading quickly as many Facebook users have been calling for the introduction of an official 'Dislike' tool.

The company's blog said that two versions of the scam have been discovered , which involve the sharing of messages with the text:

"I just got the Dislike button, so now I can dislike all of your dumb posts lol!!"

"Get the official DISLIKE button NOW!"

Facebook users who have already clicked the link should delete references to the Dislike button from their wall, and remove the offending application from Account/Application Settings.

Sophos said in a statement: "Giving away personal information in a survey and allowing an application access to your profile is extremely risky and Facebook users need to wise up to this rather than just clicking on links that they see, just because they appear to be from a trusted source."

Computeractive has published a step-by-step guide to tweaking the privacy settings in Facebook to protect personal information.