Summary of "Week 6.1: eCrime on Online Social Media"

Summary of "Week 6.1: eCrime on Online Social Media"

This lecture is part of a course on Privacy and Security in Online Social Media and focuses on electronic crimes (e-crimes) occurring specifically on social media platforms. The instructor first recaps previous weeks’ content on social media policing and data analysis, then introduces various types of cybercrimes and scams prevalent on social media. The session aims to familiarize students with the landscape of social media crimes, prepare them for hands-on analysis using tools like social network analysis and NLTK, and highlight research questions that can be explored using social media data.

Main Ideas and Concepts

  1. Recap of Previous Topics:
    • Overview of social media platforms and tools (Linux, Python, Twitter API, MongoDB, MySQL).
    • Trust, credibility, and privacy issues on social media.
    • Policing via social media in India: how police use Facebook and Twitter to interact with citizens.
    • Analyzing social media content for actionable insights (e.g., citizens’ needs and wants).
    • Linguistic and emotional analysis of police-citizen interactions.
    • Data collected from multiple police departments (2010-2015) to study social media engagement.
  2. Introduction to e-Crime on Social Media:
    • Focus on crimes specifically occurring on social media platforms.
    • Basics of e-crime followed by research questions and hands-on tutorials.
    • Use of social network analysis and natural language processing tools.
  3. Types of Crimes and Scams on Social Media:
    • Phishing:
      • Traditional phishing adapted to social media (fake links, fake login pages).
      • Variants include spear phishing (targeted groups) and whaling (targeting executives).
      • Examples: fake Facebook technical support emails, fake login system notifications.
      • Importance of Facebook credentials due to access to personal and social data.
    • Fake Customer Service Accounts:
      • Fraudsters create accounts mimicking legitimate organizations.
      • They respond to real customer complaints to deceive users into giving sensitive information.
      • Example: fake replies to bank-related tweets.
    • Fake Comments on Popular Posts:
      • Scammers post fake comments on trending posts to lure users to malicious websites or deliver malware.
      • Exploits popularity of posts related to celebrities, events (e.g., Olympics).
    • Fake Live Streaming Videos:
      • Fake posts claiming to offer live streams of popular events (sports, shows).
      • Leads users to fake websites with no real content.
    • Fake Online Discounts:
      • Fake pages impersonating real businesses offering unrealistic discounts.
      • Lures users into scams or phishing.
    • Fake Online Surveys and Contests:
      • Scammers entice users to participate in fake surveys or contests promising prizes.
      • Used to collect personal information or spread malware.
    • Fake Tips on Location-Based Networks:
      • Posting misleading or malicious tips on platforms like Foursquare.
      • Links may lead to phishing or fraudulent sites.
  4. Manipulation of Social Reputation:
    • Social reputation measured by likes, followers, endorsements, and reviews.
    • Problems include fake reviews (e.g., Amazon, Flipkart), fake followers, and fake endorsements.
    • Example: Amazon suing people for fake reviews.
    • These manipulations influence public opinion and purchasing decisions.
  5. Other e-Crime Issues:
    • Clickbaiting: Misleading links that redirect users to fake or malicious sites.
    • Hashtag Hijacking:
      • Using popular hashtags unrelated to a product or message to gain visibility.
      • Examples: CocaCola using #RoyalBaby, DiGiorno Pizza using #WhyIStayed (which backfired).
    • Compromised Accounts: Accounts hacked and used to spread false information (example: Associated Press hacked tweet about White House explosion).
    • Impersonation: Creating fake accounts mimicking individuals or organizations.
      • Example: Fake police accounts or fake accounts of public figures.
    • Work from Home Scams: Fake job offers or surveys promising easy money.
      • Example: Pinterest scam promising payment for filling surveys.
  6. Course Goals and Future Work:
    • Understanding these crimes is crucial to developing technological solutions.
    • Upcoming hands-on tutorials will include social network analysis and natural language processing to detect and analyze e-crimes.
    • Encouragement for students to engage in discussions about local police-social media interactions and crime-related research questions.

Detailed List of e-Crimes and Scams Covered

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