Our Sheikh Dr. Abu-Abdullah Adelabu Doesn't Do Social Network - Please Don't Join The Likes Of Facebook, Twitter and MySpace To Find Our Sheikh
As-Salaam 'Alaykum,
It has bee brought to our attentions that several pages are being opened for and in the name of Our Sheikh Dr. Abu-Abdullah Adelabu on the Internet social networks including Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. We received the alert message through one of our well-known German revert brother, who is in contact with Sheikh Adelabu and his followers and students like us and other brothers and sisters at Awqaf Africa Muslim Colege in London, especially, those who run EsinIslam.com and IslamAfrica.com. The German brother is well-known to our Sheikh to be a trustworthy student of knowledge and honest revert Muslim individual with dignity and proven love for Islam. He has committed himself to dealing with the networks concerned to stop those who impersonate our Sheikh on theInternet.
Several times the followers and students of the London-based Muslim scholar, especially, at EsinIslam.com and IslamAfrica.com have published many pages to advise their readers and contacts that other people may be impersonate to be Sheikh Dr. Abu-Abdullah Adelabu, who DOES NOT DO SOCIAL NETWORKS. The Sheikh does not have any account with the social networks and he does not condole having his images printed, published or pictured, particularly, to be used for purposes such as on the Internet, newspapers or magazines. Anyone known and found commiting the offences of using our Sheikh's images or impersonation would SURELY BE PROSECUTED.
In the wake of this revelation by our German brother, we contacted our colleagues Awqaf Africa Society in London as well as at EsinIslam.com and IslamAfrica.com. They gave us their consents to make this important warning public:
SHEIKH DR. ABU-ABDULLAH ADELABU DOES NOT DO SOCIAL NETWORKS.
ADHERING TO THE TEACHING OF ISLAM, SHEIKH ADELABU DOES NOT ALLOWED HIS IMAGES MADE OR/AND PUBLISHED BY ANY MEANS.
USING IMAGES OR IMPERSONATION OF SHEIKH ADELABU WOULD SURELY BE PROSECUTED.
We therefore, call on all those this may concern not to join any social network and/or any forum in the name of our Sheikh Dr. Abu-Abdullah Adelabu except those that are operated by the followers and students of the Sheikh through their Da'wah projects and institutions. Details of publications, Da'wah activities and Islamic projects of Sheikh Adelabu can be found on websites and portals of his students and followers including EsinIslam.com and IslamAfrica.com.
Furthermore, for reasons like frauds, scams and personals, Sheikh Adelabu does not use the free-served email addresses such as hotmail, gmail and yahoo for correspondences. Our Sheikh, however, does receive correspondences through his students and followers, who act for him as aides and contact assistants a well as volunteers via email addresses based at AwqafAfrica.com, EsinIslam.com and IslamAfrica.com. If you or your organization may want to contact Sheikh Adelabu, visit these portals and websites of his students, followers and aides as above and follow the relevant links thereon.
Meanwhile, to help you understand better the dangers and common frauds on social networks and the Internet in general, we are providing below some useful articles.
Five Facebook-based Fraud Scams to Watch for - By Print Country
Facebook has attracted millions of users worldwide because of its many features, applications and games. But because of its popularity, this social networking site has also attracted a lot of hackers, phishers and scammers. Many users have reported and complained about various scams—from identity theft to malware peddlers—and the number of victims rises by the hundreds every month. Don’t be fooled by these Internet scams; be prepared by learning how to spot these different types of Internet fraud. Below are the top five Facebook scams you should watch out for.
1. The 419 Scam. Also known as the Nigerian scam, this scam has been emptying innocent people’s wallets for years. What was once done through email has now hit the social networking sites, like Facebook. Scammers steal or hack into an account and use this account to send messages to contacts. The details vary, but the theme of the messages is the same. Scammers chat with the contacts of the stolen account, saying that they desperately need money because they were robbed while traveling abroad. They even give bank account details, requesting that the money to be deposited there. Don’t be fooled by this type of Internet fraud. Always verify with friends before sending money—contact them via email, phone or ask around if they’ve indeed been traveling.
2. Phishing scams. Creating a fake log-in page is one clever method used by hackers to control your Facebook account. Phishing is when someone copies a legal site and uses it to retrieve passwords and account details. Sometimes, hackers even take over your friends’ accounts to post links of funny videos or interesting clips. When you click on this link, you are redirected to a fake log-in page (such as www.facebook.fakeurl.com). Always check that you are on the correct facebook url "http://www.facebook.com" before typing in your user name and password.
3. The Facebook Quiz Scam. Quizzes are fun but some can actually drain your savings. This Internet fraud starts with a simple Facebook quiz; it can be about anything—from movie quizzes and I.Q. quizzes, to trivia. Once you answer all the questions, you will be asked for a mobile number so that the results can be sent to your phone. Don’t be fooled, though. You will never get those results. Once you input your number, you can be charged amounts ranging from $4 to as much as $10 a day! Never give out your mobile number or other details to sites you don’t know or are unsure of.
4. Malware applications. One thing that makes Facebook so popular is its many fun applications. But since it’s easy to create these apps, a lot of hackers trick innocent people in using them so they can steal information and personal data. These Internet scams mimic familiar applications like Your Photo or Wall. Some even send emails pretending to be “The Facebook Team” and instruct you to open attachments that contain malware. To prevent malware from affecting your computer or account, always keep your security software updated and be wary of attachments from email addresses you don’t know.
5. The Koobface Worm. Its name might be funny, but you won’t be laughing if this Worm affects your account. This scam starts out as an innocent-looking message from one of your Facebook friends, such as “Super funny video of our party last week!” or “This is a must-see! LOL.” Clicking on the link will redirect you to a page that looks like a Youtube video. A small window will appear asking you to upgrade your Flash player and to click on the button to download a file. This file contains the Koobface worm, which will prompt your computer to log in your Facebook account and message all your other friends. Don’t fall prey to this type of Internet fraud. Never click on links posted on your wall or inbox that seems strange.
You probably spend at least an hour everyday on Facebook to catch up with your friends, play games and upload photos and videos. Don’t be a victim of Internet scams, always be wary of strange messages, emails and links. Spread safety and security tips to your friends, not viruses.
Top 5 Internet Fraud & Scams Of All Time -- By Ryan Dube
If you’ve been using the Internet, and specifically email, for any length of time, then by now you’re most likely aware of most of the common email scams that exist online. Dean covered the five most common email scams, so if you aren’t familiar with them, then please take the time to read his thorough article.
Beyond just basic email scams, there are other methods that scammers use to defraud people of their money through the Internet. Today, I would like to examine five additional Internet scams that are very commonplace, but unfortunately not quite as many people are aware of them.
These are scams that trip up the most people every year and lead to a substantial financial loss. Take the time to read through and understand these scams so that you never find yourself a victim of them.
Nigerian Scams Revisited
I remember watching a documentary a few years ago that detailed how scammers, usually located in third world countries, set up computer clusters connected to the Internet and send out thousands of Nigerian scam emails every day.
The name of the scam comes from the original form of this scam, which consisted of emails outlining a situation in Nigeria that required a massive transfer of money from that country into the United States for safety. For assisting with the money transfer, the recipient of the email is promised a percentage of the transfer amount, usually totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars to a few million.
Once this came became widely known, it immediately evolved and continues to evolve even today. It now takes a very wide variety of forms including the elderly sick person looking to transfer their entire estate into your bank account.
Then there is one of my personal favorites, the young woman in danger who is seeking a savior to help her – and of course she has a very large sum of money to offer as a reward. Here is an email from “Miss Diana” of West Africa, who has a DC worth $5.9 million, and is seeking to escape her country and live in the United States.
The scammers put together storylines and plots that appeal to the basic human emotions of greed, goodwill and love. In some cases they almost always reference God in some way – in an effort to appeal to western Christian values. In the end, the many variations of the Nigerian scam end in only one place if you offer up any of your contact information or, even worse, your bank account information – an empty bank account.
Scammed By A Counterfeit Website
The second most common Internet scam is email phishing. Dean mentioned this in his article (fake links in emails to banks or Paypal), and MUO covered SonicWALL, which can detect phishing emails. However, did you know that even if you don’t click on a fake link and you follow the advice to type in your bank or Paypal’s URL directly into the browser, that the site could still be counterfeit?
It’s true. If you visit the wrong website or download the wrong file from an infected email attachment, you could end up with malware on your PC that specifically targets a browser security flaw. Internet Explorer seems to be the most vulnerable to these. The Malware basically re-routes your browser URL query to a different page than the domain that you typed in.
Because the scammer has altered the DNS settings for a specific website or hijacks your browser, it’s very hard to realize that you’re actually visiting a counterfeit version of the site you intended to visit. How do you prevent such a scenario from happening to you?
First, run MalwareBytes religiously. Second, keep your browser fully patched and updated. And finally, be vigilant about anything on the website that seems a bit odd. Thankfully, most major banks are catching on to this problem and are starting to incorporate a unique image of your choosing into the login process. Each time you log in, the website asks you to confirm the image. If the website doesn’t ask you to confirm, or it’s the wrong image, then you know you may be visiting a counterfeit site.
Three Major eBay Scams
While the Nigerian scams and phishing emails with fake links are the two most common Internet scams, the popularity of eBay over the past decade has led to another whole family of Internet scams. There are three significant scams that you should be aware of if you’re an eBay user. The first is a scam that targets eBay sellers, and it involves the scam artist obtaining a matching broken item that’s identical to the item that you’re selling. Often, such scam artists will actually purchase one right off eBay that’s in need of repairs or otherwise has some damage to it at a fraction of the cost of a new one.
Then they will purchase your identical item, which is in perfect condition. They’ll make payment to you, receive your item, and then email you to say that the item was damaged in shipment. Often, they’ll threaten to give you negative feedback (a hard thing to deal with as an eBay seller). Many sellers simply cave and send a full refund, and the scammer returns the damaged item, keeping the working item for themselves.
Protect yourself from this scam by either requiring your buyers to purchase shipping insurance, or doing what the seller in the above example did and put in writing that all sales are final, and no returns are accepted.
The insurance option is the best approach because it removes all liability from you as the seller. If the buyer claims that the device was damaged in shipment, it’s up to them to prove it to the postal service, and face fraud charges if they are found lying.
The second common eBay scam is the Auto Scam. The Motors section of eBay is a bustling auto marketplace where huge volumes of sales take place every day. Unfortunately, because these are big ticket items, and because the financial transactions on eBay are not very secure for buyers, the marketplace is very attractive to con artists.
The con is very simple. First, they list a very popular big-ticket auto that they actually don’t even have. Sometimes they’ll even just steal photos from other listings.
Now, I don’t know if the listing above is authentic or not, but I offer the listing as an example of how much money is at stake. If you really want this car and you don’t live near enough to inspect it, you might be willing to cough up payment, or even a partial payment, at the end of the sale. Don’t do it. There are far too many examples where people have sent in a significant chunk of change, and the seller simply disappeared without a trace. Never bid on an auto on eBay Motors unless an on-site inspection by you or a third party on your behalf is agreed upon.
The last eBay scam is shown above. As a seller, you’ll get used to notifications from eBay, and sometimes it’s easy to assume they’re all authentic. Scammers will scour completed eBay sales and then send these fraudulent emails to the seller, as though it’s from eBay’s automated system. The goal of the email is to get you to click on the link and log into your eBay account. The moment you do – your eBay account and all financial information contained therein, is compromised.
Have you ever been “taken in” by an Internet scam? Do you know of any other popular Internet fraud or scams that are floating around out there? Let readers know in the comments section below.
Facebook Once Again Faces Internet Fraud - By Spam News
According to UK-based security firm Sophos, users of popular social engineering site Facebook have been attacked by another kind of Internet fraud.
The security firm said that the spammers are making use of 'like button' to lure Facebook users into allowing a clickjacking worm to enter their PCs. Facebook's "Like button", which is a tiny thumbs-up icon, if clicked by a user gets automatically inserted on his profile page that carries a link to some content user thinks important to be checked out by his friend.
Further details of the scam reveal that the scam includes concealing an invisible 'like' button beneath the mouse pointer of the user. As a result, if the user is logged into this social networking site, a click on any part of the infected page will make his Facebook profile updated to say that he also 'Like' that page. Then the victim is redirected to pictures of some female celebrities. The victim has in fact clicked the Troj/Iframe-ET virus.
Therefore, while the user is busy browsing the pictures of various Hollywood actresses, the malicious spam is playing his game -- ready to receive a click from the unaware user and to further spread the infection.
The security firm said that the latest scam is a part of CPALead advertising network that makes use of a cost-per-action model. User's click on dodgy Facebook links just helps scammers to make more profit.
In the context of the current attack, Graham Cluley, Senior Technology Consultant at Sophos, stated on his blog that Facebook seriously needs to look into the matter as clickjacking worms are increasingly making the site their target, as per the news published by thinq.co.uk on June 15, 2010.
Cluley added that the way of handling the 'liking' of outside webpages should be tightened by the social network before hackers and spammers abuse it extensively. He also advised Facebook users that in case they suspect that they have been scammed, they should examine their profile. If they find any suspicious entries related to the page, they should delete them immediately. They should not forget to warn friends who might probably have clicked on malevolent link.
In addition to this, users should be aware of all the recent scams that are circulating on Facebook because Facebook has nowadays become a lucrative target for cybercriminals.
[Note: Please don't contact our Sheikh, Sheikh Dr. Abu-Abdullah Adelabu on any items or issues discussed on this blog. All comments and correspondences relating to this blog should be addressed first to us, the students of Sheikh Abu-Abdullah Adelabu at africansheikh.plogspot.com]
Posted By: Kevin (Khalid) Twa-Kofi
Maa Shaa Allah la quwwatah, my wife received from Sister Madinah yesterday a copy of response to Fatwa of Sheikh Abu-Abdullah Adelabu and to an article titled: Confused About Women Covering Their Faces (Using The Veil): Hijab Even If To Be Harmed Because Of That, which featured on EsinIslam couple of weeks ago. The material was a correspondence between the Student of Sheikh Adelabu and Sister Dr Murshidah in Mangalore, India Tuesday 1st February 2011.
We also recalled that 
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: A man stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allaah, what clothes do you command us to wear in ihraam?” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not wear shirts, pants or any kind of headgear… and women in ihraam should not wear niqaab or gloves.” [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1741] See webpage: 
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No woman should travel except with a mahram, and no man should enter upon her unless she has a mahram with her.” A man said: “O Messenger of Allaah, I want to go out with the army of such and such and my wife wants to go for Hajj.” He said: “Go for Hajj with her.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1763; Muslim, 1341.