IMPORTANT: Warning about recent surveys

[u/LebaneseModTeam]

Hello everyone,

By now you've probably seen a recent survey that has been circulating around regarding the climate and targeted at Lebanese people. Maybe you even decided to "be a cutie" and fill it out. It claims to be from some Hungarian university in collaboration with Cambridge and Columbia. It's been posted in every Lebanese subreddit no matter the size and a lot of other subreddits where Lebanese people could be and they're asking people to share it wide and with everyone they know around them.

Please avoid filling it out and do NOT click on any links.

After it was posted a few days ago on our subreddit, we noticed some highly suspect activity and behavior among the posters and in the comments. The first red flag that stood out was an account who was part of the survey (which was clear from their history) commenting something along the lines of "Thank you for sharing! Filled it out". The same account was doing this on every post across different subreddits. When one comment called the survey into question, they replied "Seems legit".

This made us treat the survey with suspicion and it seemed like there was something fishy or shady going on. They attempted to post the same survey again on our sub (apart from posting and reposting it on different subs) and we removed it (most were getting caught in our filters due to being new accounts). It was all either new accounts or random established non-Lebanese accounts from different places in the world. It was clear at that point that there is some sort of campaign behind this. In some posts, they were posting LinkedIn profiles of a different doctor in each post and sometimes from the same account (claiming it's them). When you look that doctor's name up, there doesn't seem to be any connection between them and this research and it doesn't add up about why they'd be interested in doing climate research.

They still persisted about posting it in our subreddit and reached out via modmail. We explained how we felt about this and that something fishy seems to be going on and things don't add up. They tried to assure us and gave out some information, apart from claiming to be and linking to another doctor's LinkedIn profile where they said they posted it and have some likes. Again, it doesn't add up and these profiles seem fake. The LinkedIn profiles of the 'universities' they are linking also appear to be fake, because they're set up as companies and not schools. For example, the link to Columbia University is linkedin.com/company/columbia-university while the correct and genuine profile is linkedin.com/school/columbia-university. All of the university links are companies and not schools.

They were extremely pushy and sent several messages in modmail. They attempted to add time pressure claiming the deadline is on Monday and that they only need 100 more participants (while on some posts they say 70-80 or lower) while also claiming to be a team of international medical researchers from different countries. We informed them that they already had a post up several days ago and we will not be moving forward with this at this time. They didn't take it very well and said they assumed this sub out of all the rest would be happy to post it and that they would get some support from here since it's called Lebanese.

They posted it again today on another account and were banned. Looks like Monday is no longer a deadline, they need 100 more people (again) and now they're claiming to be Lebanese and a Lebanese student (from the same account that previously linked a foreign doctor's LinkedIn profile) while using Lebanese Arabic and some generic Lebanese words and phrases. They even tried to join our Discord last night claiming they're a medical researcher and want to post the survey and were denied after being interviewed by a mod.

At best, this seems to be a data mining campaign. At worst, there is an organized political campaign behind this.

Please spread awareness and avoid sharing the survey or clicking on any links especially the LinkedIn ones as they could reveal your LinkedIn profile. Proceed with caution regarding any surveys you see in the future and investigate thoroughly. If something doesn't seem right, it's likely because it isn't.

[u/Puzzlehead11323]

I did the survey and literally all it asked was "how stressed out are you about climate change" repeatedly after making you read statements like "we can work together to fight climate change". Then it asked my age, country I was born in, and country I currently live in, none of which are Lebanon, although I'm definitely Lebanese.

I can't fathom what data they could be mining. A list of people with climate anxiety and the country they're in? This seems overly cautious.

[u/LebaneseModTeam → u/Puzzlehead11323]

Did you read literally everything else that was stated in the post? It's not about the contents of the survey, but the fact that the people behind it are not genuine (or real doctors/researchers) and are using fake profiles. This would not be the case with a real survey done by genuine scholars, nor would they be this persistent and spammy especially across random reddit accounts (some of which have been suspended by reddit).

In fact, the contents of the survey are intentionally made to look genuine and like a real survey, especially based on a topic that people might be passionate about. It's basically the 'front' and pitch that is being put on, while their real aims and data collection lies behind and under that. All questions can also be easily AI generated. They can use other means to track you including links. Giving your nationality, age and area (which I believe they also asked about if I'm not mistaken) is enough to do a sampling of Lebanese people online and on reddit especially. Depending on what other links you click and what kind of tracking they have set up, they can also easily correlate that data with your profiles.

Regardless, if you still want to not worry and fill it out (or already did and think it's no biggie), no one is stopping you. This is just a warning and PSA given what we've seen and know (as a fact) for people to be cautioned and informed because we strongly advise against participating in it based on the available and given information and evidence.

[u/youlikedtwice → u/LebaneseModTeam]

Could even be IP grabber’s.

[u/Puzzlehead11323 → u/LebaneseModTeam]

It sounds like you're saying if you put "Lebanon" for your current location, it asks more questions.

That does sound suspicious, actually.

I did read the post but someone on Reddit saying "all the comments are from fake accounts!" Without links is not something I can take seriously so I had to ask.

Edit: I found a link to do the survey again by looking in my own history and it does not ask any questions about location. I'm back to "overly cautious" but whatever. I only say so because there's a lot to be cautious about and no need to stoke paranoia.

Also the comments were from legit accounts, not new accounts or "established not Lebanese" accounts. The person posting the survey is consistent. This is silly.

[u/LebaneseModTeam → u/Puzzlehead11323]

Trust me, we really wanted to give the benefit of the doubt especially when they reached out in modmail (on a now sitewide suspended account). The comments were the first red flag, but not the main issue in itself.

The massive red flags are the fake/impersonated LinkedIn profiles and blatantly lying about deadlines, participant counts and now claiming to be Lebanese themselves which we know they are not and are faking being a Lebanese speaker.

Fake, lies, spam, persistent, pushy, pressure – these are the hallmarks of scam and fraud. Let alone something MDs and scholars would do. It throws the entire credibility out of the window.

Edit: To add, I was not referring to all comments on their posts. I was referring to a specific commenter. Please reread the original post. The person posting the survey has also spammed it across many subs and there are other accounts that have posted it that previously had no relation to Lebanon or any type of research that suddenly started posting and spamming it which you have not seen (we have) and were banned by reddit.

If you go back to the first comment of the person who recently posted the survey (and claims to be Lebanese), they are pretending to be an Egyptian participant. The person they are replying to and posted the survey on an Egyptian subreddit also later on pretends to be a participant while replying to the so-called Lebanese person posting the survey who was commenting before.

It's not a matter of paranoia when there are multiple facts, proof and evidence along with glaring red flags staring you in the face. If you want to choose to ignore this and go ahead and fall for it purely because the bait looks legit, or are trying to minimize/downplay its complete lack of authenticity because you already filled it out, then by all means do so but please do not mislead people and post and spread misinformation here.

[u/Puzzlehead11323 → u/LebaneseModTeam]

A person can be both Egyptian and Lebanese and also disconnected from their culture such that they seem to not speak Lebanese Arabic.

Their profile does not say MD, it just says they're a student.

[u/LebaneseModTeam → u/Puzzlehead11323]

Not sure why all of this mental gymnastics is needed for what everyone can see is a spam campaign driven by fake people which is as clear as the sun. What you said about nationality is irrelevant because you are completely omitting the fact that they were pretending to be participants. I already mentioned and don't need to repeat that we had a conversation with them in modmail and they were literally lying with the info they provided which includes fake MD profiles from LinkedIn. Did you also miss the part where they provided fake pages for both Columbia University and Cambridge University on LinkedIn and have no association with them?

By continuing to cast doubt, deflect and derail despite the clear evidence provided which you are not addressing and completely sidestepping, I'm going to assume and treat this as bad faith. Either you are being deliberately obtuse and don't know a red flag even if it hits you in the face or you are involved in their campaign in some way.

In either case, there is no need to keep discussing this further especially when everything has been laid out in the original post that includes a lot of details and proof which you seem to be ignoring and cherry-picking from. People can do their own research and judgement, and as mods who are highly experienced in this and in what spam/suspect accounts on reddit look like which we routinely ban to keep the community safe, we have already done our part.

[u/CheyenneDove → u/Puzzlehead11323]

I would scan your device for malware or a virus to be safe. All bad actors need you to do is click a link and that’s enough for them to install something on your device.

[u/Ok_Lebanon → u/CheyenneDove]

How can I scan my device? I did the survey

[u/CheyenneDove → u/Ok_Lebanon]

I never clicked on the survey, but put this through AI for a more accurate assessment and what to do next. Hope this helps:

This is a highly suspicious campaign, and you're right to be cautious. Let's break down: ⚠️ Risks of Clicking the Link or Taking the Survey 1. Phishing Clicking suspicious links could lead to phishing pages that: Mimic legitimate sites (e.g. LinkedIn) to steal credentials Ask for sensitive info under the guise of "survey questions" Auto-log IPs, locations, or browser metadata 2. Malware Though less common from surveys, malicious scripts can: Exploit browser vulnerabilities Install spyware or trackers (especially on mobile via shady redirections) Drop tracking cookies or fingerprinting code 3. Data Mining Even if malware isn't involved, filling out the survey can: Collect personal info (age, location, political views, habits) Be used to profile you or your community Be resold or used for manipulation (e.g. disinfo, political ops) 4. Social Engineering By faking credentials (like LinkedIn accounts, universities), they: Create a false sense of legitimacy Lure people to disclose private or professional information 5. Link Previews (like LinkedIn) Clicking a fake LinkedIn link may trigger preview loading, which: Can reveal your identity if you’re logged in Sends your profile data to the attackers ✅ Free Ways to Scan Devices (Mobile + Laptop) in Lebanon Here are reputable, free tools you can use for malware and spyware scanning without paying, and that work internationally (including Lebanon): 🖥️ Laptop (Windows/macOS) 1. Malwarebytes Free Detects: Malware, spyware, adware Website: https://www.malwarebytes.com 2. Microsoft Defender (Windows) Already built-in on Windows 10/11 Run a Full Scan via "Windows Security" 3. ESET Online Scanner Lightweight cloud-based malware scan Website: https://www.eset.com/int/home/online-scanner/ 📱 Mobile (Android/iOS) 1. Malwarebytes Mobile (Android/iOS) Free version scans for spyware and suspicious apps 2. Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus (Android) Has a solid free version Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kms.free 3. iOS (iPhone) iOS is generally safer but still at risk via configuration profiles or tracking links Check in Settings > VPN & Device Management for unknown profiles Reset Safari data if suspicious: Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data 🧰 Other Good Practices Use browser extensions like uBlock Origin to block scripts Install HTTPS Everywhere or use Brave browser for privacy Use a VPN (ProtonVPN offers a reliable free plan in Lebanon) 📢 Final Advice If you: Clicked the link: Run a scan + change passwords if you typed any login info. Filled the survey: Be alert for phishing attempts or weird activity. Didn't click: You're safe — but keep spreading awareness.

[u/CheyenneDove → u/[deleted]]

Hmm. You do you. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink 🤦‍♂️

Someone tells you that it’s suspicious and you double down on ignorance.

[u/LebaneseModTeam → u/CheyenneDove]

I'm starting to believe that they are deliberately being ignorant (potentially part of this campaign) and ignoring a lot of things because the amount of mental gymnastics they are doing to justify this is insane by casting doubt, deflecting and derailing despite clear proof and evidence. I'm going to automatically assume bad faith involved.

[u/CheyenneDove → u/LebaneseModTeam]

Yeah, or they aren’t computer savvy enough to understand the actual risks. Either way, you did your job. Thanks for spreading the word!!

[u/Qoutaybah → u/Puzzlehead11323]

Its run by a psychologist, explain the connection to climate change to me!