Panda Security: Spoof social network pages used to steal personal information

Fake pages in the style of popular social networking websites are being used to get hold of personal information such as login passwords, according to Panda Security.

The IT security solutions provider said it discovered a fake Facebook page that has now been taken down, but more scams of this sort are likely from cybercriminals.

Once hackers have access to the right personal information they can potentially steal more data that can sometimes be sold on to third parties on the internet.

Luis Corrons, technical director at Panda Security, said: "Once cyber-crooks have user names and passwords, they have all the details and can take any action from the account."

He added that cybercriminals and hackers target social networking sites such as Facebook due to the number of users these services attract.

The internet has become hugely popular as a way of keeping in touch with friends, family and colleagues, while technology such as VoIP solutions can be used more efficiently with faster speeds.

Singer Britney Spears is one high-profile social network user whose MySpace and Twitter accounts were reportedly hacked recently.