There’s a lot of people doing it, people are making livings from it – it’s a very tangible thing that’s happening. Several admitted using fake accounts to “like” the specified pages. When contacted by Channel 4 News a representative of the company claimed that it had recently changed hands and did not respond to further requests for information.Ĭhannel 4 News contacted 10 other companies which sell “likes” on Facebook, none of whom would speak on the record about the service they sell. We traced the service back to a company called Social Booster. New Pixel Studio then cancelled the service altogether after it was revealed how some of the likes purchased had come from hacked accounts. Who are the businesses behind these dodgy practices? The first company Channel 4 News bought likes from, New Pixel Studio, said it outsourced its “likes” service. Someone, somewhere, had taken the money and delivered the service by hacking Richard and Penny’s Facebook accounts – and more. It’s embarrassing to think that my friends would think I like some of these pages”. “I didn’t realise that it could be abused. Ms Lewis told Channel 4 News: “I never considered that there would be any reason not to feel safe about Facebook. These “likes” show up on her account’s news feed and can be viewed by all her Facebook friends. As well as Rebecca’s brownie fan page, Penny’s account has liked “Hot Fun”, “Polygamy Uncensored” and “Matters of Size”, a penis enlargement site. Another was from Penny Lewis (pictured), a chef in Abergavenny, Wales. Within three days, the likes arrived, including one from Richard Southard’s account. Read more: Introducing the Channel 4 News Data Baby We bought batches of Facebook fans from online companies – a bargain, at just £12.99 for 500 – and asked them to be assigned to a cupcake fan page and a brownie fan page, created by our Data Baby identity Rebecca Taylor. Mr Southard was one of 1,000 people who liked a page set up by Channel 4 News, as part of the Data Baby investigation. One social intelligence company put the value of a like at £114, and the number of Facebook fans – along with Twitter followers and YouTube hits – has become a marker of popularity in the digital age.īut while legitimate marketing businesses have sprung up to help boost fans, there are just as many illegitimate companies that offer fans for sale. Mr Southard’s thousands of likes are just a fraction of the 4.5 billion likes on Facebook every day – a figure that has grown by 67 per cent since last year.īut Channel 4 News has uncovered evidence that this growth is fuelled in part by computer hacking, with cyber criminals breaking into websites and using viruses to stoke a massive black market in Facebook likes.Īs Facebook has grown to 1.15 billion users, gaining “likes” or fans, the social network has become a valuable marketing opportunity for companies. I tried to delete them, but then they came back.” Watch Dispatches on Monday at 8pm: Celebs, Brands and Fake Fans Fans for sale “I went in there a little while ago and noticed there were lots of likes. I don’t really have time for Facebook,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever ‘liked’ something.
#Facebook online hacking sites tv
He is a senior executive at a US TV network, and told us he believes his profile has been hacked. Channel 4 News tracked down the real Richard Southard. He likes a couple of dozen films, TV shows, and a handful of games.īut then you see the number of pages he likes: 4,787.Īpparently Richard Southard likes everything from “Sex and Sexy Girls” to “Muscle Gain Supplements” and even “I Love Welding”.Įxcept that he doesn’t. At first sight, Richard Southard looks like a regular Facebook user.