Watch out for malware hidden inside of 'Free Stuff' Facebook posts

This weekend, you're going to be on social media sites like Facebook a lot. You'll post pictures of your family opening Christmas gifts. You'll scan through messages to see how the people you care about spent the holiday.

You may also see a lot offers from stores, whether it's after-Christmas sales or year-end sales. You'll probably also see links to win free stuff. Which, on Facebook, is a red flag.

There's currently a Facebook scam affecting Portuguese-speaking people in South America that is likely to be replicated in English here, and elsewhere around the world. Don't fall victim to this serious scam, which infects your computer with malware, and steals you financial information.

These Facebook scammers post "free stuff" messages on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. The first thing to note is that you shouldn't click on any offer you see on Facebook, unless you know for sure it's not a scam.

Second, this specific scam is notable for posting short links, or tiny URLs. Those are those shorted website addresses you see on Twitter and other sites.

Here's how this Facebook scam works. You'll see an offer for a coupon voucher for something like the WhatsApp smartphone messenger, or anti-virus software. (Both of which you can get free without a coupon.)

Next page: Spy Banker Trojans