Your 'like' on Facebook is being used by scam artists: Report

Like or share status on a picture or a link propels it to the top of news feeds, so that popular posts appear prominently

Scam artists are using users' "Like" on social networking website Facebook to make them vulnerable to online scams, a report in The Independent said Saturday.

Facebook's "Like" option is used for appreciation and is a harmless way to express your thoughts on a photo or any information, but fraudsters are tricking users by making an attractive or emotional post popular before editing it to include dangerous content, the report said.

Facebook is being targeted by scammers hoping to trick people into sharing their hoaxes, it said.

Generally on Facebook, like or share status on a picture or a link propels it to the top of news feeds, so that popular posts appear higher and more prominent.

Scammers will post a story on Facebook that contains nothing malicious, for example a story of a dog or a life event of an elderly man, which is likely to become popular and attract likes and shares from users.

As soon as the post has ample amount of likes and shares, scammers then change the content and add malicious content.

Scammers are also promoting fake pages of products to buy and introduce a paywall on the page to steal credit card information.

A paywall is a system that prevents Internet users from accessing webpage content without a paid subscription.

According to the report, Facebook has been contacted for comment.