Missing plane found in Bermuda - this is what a viral Facebook post is claiming, it even claims that it has a video showing how authorities found the plane and that the passengers of the flight are all alive.
According to the Epoch Times a scam is circulating the famous social media site Facebook right now is titled "Video of Malaysia MH370 Plane Found in Bermuda Triangle! Passengers Alive!" The scam is made believable through a photo of a passenger jet sitting on top of the water.
However, it was found out that the photo was actually taken last year when a Lion Air plane crash-landed in Bali. The incident even wounded dozens.
Many people were reportedly tricked by the "missing plane found in Bermuda" post. Delighted by the prospect of hearing a positive outcome from the search and rescue operation, many clicked the post right away.
But upon clicking the viral post, there is actually no video footage of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 370. Instead, visitors are asked to share the Facebook post first before they can view the clip.
Nevertheless, upon sharing the post, the visitors are redirected into a page that requires them to take a survey prior to getting access to the said footage.
The Epoch Times report that the "missing plane found in Bermuda" post is scammers' way of spreading malware and survey scams in the heat of unfortunate missing plane issue.
Furthermore, the surveys are designed to collect personal information of visitors, which scammers can sell to certain companies later on.
"But, no matter how many surveys or offers they complete, they will never get to see the promised video," a post from Hoax-Slayer - a site that warns about the online scams and surveys - reads. "The surveys will ask users to provide their mobile phone numbers, ostensibly to get survey results or register for a prize. But, fine print on the page will inform users that, by submitting their phone numbers, they are actually signing up to a very expensive SMS subscription that takes several dollars from the user's phone account every time it sends a text."
The site then continues with: "Other surveys or offers may ask users to provide their name, address and phone number to continue participation. This information will later be shared with online marketers, resulting in unwanted email, phone calls and surface mail."
As of late, Australian officials as well as the rest of the world are helping each other in the search and rescue operation at the southern Indian Ocean for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane flight MH 370.
The missing plane with 239 people on-board reportedly vanished on March 8, and authorities claim that they spotted what seemed to be debris of the said plane using satellite imaging technology.
"This is a lead, it's probably the best lead we have right now," said John Young, manager of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's emergency response division.
