WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- "Like-Jacking," a new Facebook scam that draws users to the popular "like" feature and entices them to click onto websites that steal their identity and credit card accounts.
Facebook officials say it works like this, you notice an intriguing post on your page that a friend supposedly likes and sent to you.
It looks genuine but it's actually a bogus type of spam that takes you to online surveys or products.
The Washington state Attorney General's office joined Facebook to sue Delaware based online marketing company Adscend Media.
"This company is misleading you, the user, the consumer, into thinking that you are getting a message from a friend. And, in fact, that's an advertisement," says Assistant Attorney General Paula Selis.
The company lures you into giving your personal information and ordering products it never intends to send.
Then it goes a step further by sending similar "like" messages supposedly from you to all of your friends.
Facebook is devising a fix, but admits it's difficult to stay ahead of Internet scams.
"It's truly an arms race, and often legal action trails technology," says Facebook's Craig Clark.
Legal experts say Facebook users are especially vulnerable because they are likely to trust a message they think came from a friend.
"Trust your instincts before you click. If it doesn't really look like something that your friend would send to you. It doesn't contain introductory language, you might want to check with them before clicking," says Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna.
The state attorney general's office says it does not know how many people have been victims of this type of scam.
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