You won't get free Starbucks on Facebook people!

The Starbucks fraud proclaims to be a give away to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Seattle coffee giant.

It's a tried and true formula for con-artists to get your to share their scam with your friends, and then lead you to a website asking you to divulge personal information.

These scams begin with asking you for your email address with some standard legal verbiage about being 18 years old and a resident of -insert country here-. They then proceed to lead you to another form asking you to disclose sensitive personal information.

Unfortunately thousands of Facebook users have been spreading the message, helping these criminals propagate their fraud. Innocent people thinking they might share a great deal with their friends are being used to social engineer those same friends.

Steer clear of these frauds and warn your friends that not even a cup of coffee comes at no cost. While both Starbucks and Tim Hortons may be trustworthy brands and offer occasional specials, be sure to only participate in contests from their own websites or stores.

Make sure that you keep informed about the latest scams spreading fast across Facebook and other internet attacks. Join the Sophos page on Facebook, where over 100,000 people regularly share information on threats and discuss the latest security news.

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