IT security and data protection firm Sophos today warned Facebook users about a new scam which is spreading fast on the social networking site, purportedly containing a link to a “horrific video” about why they should never drink Coca-Cola.

It said that the scam differs from many recent “clickjacking” attacks, by tricking people into sharing the link manually multiple times with their Facebook friends with the message: “I am part of the 98.0 percent of people that are NEVER gonna drink Coca-Cola again after this HORRIFIC video.”

The webpage claimed that it was conducting a poll whether the user had shared the link enough times in order to watch the video, Sophos said in a statement in Singapore.

Users would quickly notice, however, that regardless of how many times they shared the link, the video remained inaccessible.

They were then urged to take a short-cut survey which asked for personal information, the firm said.

“With this scam, users are actively sharing the post numerous times and then they’re volunteering personal information, all because the temptation to see a video is too much to resist,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

“The users who try and watch this video have no way of knowing how their personal information may be used,” Cluley said.

Facebook users who were hit by the scam should view the recent activity on their news feed and delete entries related to the offending links, Sophos said.

In addition, they should view their profile, click on the “Info” tab and remove any of the offending pages from the “Likes and Interests” section, Sophos said.

 - Bernama