Thousands upon thousands of Facebook users have been hit by a new survey scam spreading virally across the Facebook social network. Users may at first be intrigued by the fact that this application can find your first facebook status.

The Messages claiming to be users’ first ever Facebook status updates are being posted on users’ walls by a rogue application, designed to earn revenue from surveys.

Although these messages seem to be posted by your friends on facebook, they are not. The messages are being posted by the application itself.

If you click on the link you are taken to a rogue Facebook application, which asks you to give it permission to access your profile, which includes giving it the ability to post from your account in your name.

facebook 1st status

Sadly, many people are all too quick to give permissions to rogue applications like this free reign to their Facebook account – allowing scams like this to spread rapidly and virally between Facebook friends.

If you are foolhardy enough to continue, you are taken to a webpage which contains a survey. This is where the scammers behind the scheme make their money.

facebook first status

Every survey which is completed earns them some commission. In some cases they might also ask for your mobile phone number in order to sign you up for an expensive premium-rate service.

And you? Well, you’ll find that the rogue application has meanwhile taken the opportunity to post a message on your Facebook page, which is now being seen by all of your online friends. When I deliberately infected a test account with the rogue application it got my first status message incorrect, as well as the date that I first posted to the Facebook account.

So, in other words, it’s a complete confidence trick. It doesn’t tell you your first status message on Facebook – and it’s only intention is to drive as many people as possible into sharing the link across Facebook, earning the scammers money.

Don’t fall for this scam on Facebook. Don’t allow the application to have any access to your facebook account. If you are that curious about your very first facebook status, do the investigating on your own.