For anyone who’s been reading Cindy’s Facebook reviews The Escapist’s Andy Chalk reports that many of the ads used by Facebook games like Farmville are actually scams.

It works like this: Users respond to an ad promising free Farmville currency in exchange for filling out a quick survey or questionnaire. After answering the questions, they’re told to submit their mobile phone number so the results can be sent to them via text message. They are then sent a PIN code to be entered on the quiz and that’s where things get ugly: Following the steps to completion results in a subscription to a $9.99 monthly service, essentially for nothing and often at the hands of Tattoo Media, a company that was fined in late 2008 for serving up similar ads on MyLuvCrush.com.

Yeesh, sounds like some unsavory companies trying to make money off unsuspecting Facebook users. At least we can count on a reputable site like Facebook to police this kind of thing right?

The end result, Arrington says, is a self-perpetuating “social gaming ecosystem of hell” in which bad behavior breeds success – and more bad behavior – while companies with a conscience end up finishing last. Facebook and MySpace both have rules against certain types of scams but have apparently been rather lax in enforcing them, at least in part, one must assume, because they themselves benefit tremendously from this kind of advertising.

Has greed compromised the ethical integrity of Facebook? Or has Facebook simply been unable to police the sheer number of applications submitted? According to the video posted with the article, there certainly seems to be a debate about whether Facebook’s policing has been successful. Either way, this is simply a reminder that we should all be wary of where we click and who we give our information to.

[The Escapist - Blogger Says Farmville Ads are "Scams" - Andy Chalk]