Facebook really dislikes that new 'dislike' button that's been popping up across the social network, and you should, too. That's because it could be a fake - a malicious little app that's actually a survey spam scam of the same ilk as that " Free iPad event " invitation you've likely received from at least one of your Facebook friends lately.
Basically, if you encounter a dialog asking you to grant the 'Dislike' app access to your profile and other information, you can expect to be asked to fill out a survey while your account is being transformed into yet another of its multitudes of spammy tentacles, which are then used to try and entice more of the online populace to fill out the surveys that earn revenue for the scammers.
There is a little twist to this scam that makes things all the more confusing. After taking the spam survey, users will be directed to a Facebook Dislike Button plug-in for Firefox . Turns out this plug-in actually is legit as far as anyone can tell.
So, to be more precise, the scam here is kind of like those dudes in New York City who used to pose as taxi drivers outside Port Authority Bus Terminal, asking tourists for a few bucks in cash upfront to secure a ride before disappearing (the nice ones actually did hail a cab for the unwitting travelers before disappearing) - the cabs were legitimate but the means of getting to them was quite sketchy. That seems to be what's going on here with an elaborate ruse meant to extract some revenue using a legitimate app as bait.
Here's what Facebook Security had to say about the rogue app on its wall last night:
Beware of the fake Facebook 'dislike' button. As always, we advise you not to click on suspicious links on Facebook. We're working hard to stop these from spreading. If you see one, report it to us, and warn any friends who might be affected.
