New zodiac sign confusion continues

Users warned of FB survey scams



Floods are ravaging Australia. The U.S. job market continues to struggle. The Tunisian president has been ousted and the army is clashing with his bodyguards and armed gangs. World fuel prices are going up. If the reactions of Facebook and Twitter users were any indication, however, what’s more heartbreaking is the fact that they’re no longer the zodiac sign they used to be and that they’ve been reading the wrong horoscope for years.



The announcement of Minnesota Planetarium Society of a new zodiac sign, Ophiuchus, has unleashed an existential confusion of epic proportions among followers of astrology the world over. Googling "new zodiac" alone yields 128 million results.



Amid the shock and confusion, security experts warn that cybercriminals are taking advantage of the situation via zodiac sign survey scams being spread on Facebook.



Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, say scams claiming zodiac signs have changed are now going viral on Facebook. Variations of the messages that victims unknowingly post on their friends’ wall include:



"The Zodiac Signs changed in 2011.



I was a (zodiac sign) now I’m a (zodiac sign)



Find out your new zodiac sign @ (link)"



and



"OMG They changed the Zodiac Signs!!



I’m now a (zodiac sign).. (was a [zodiac sign] before!)



To find yours, use (link)



Clicking on the link takes users to a page showing zodiac signs floating in outer space and a message that reads, "Click Here to Continue!" Clicking on the image takes the user to a rogue FB app called "My New Zodiac Sign" which asks users for permission to access their data and post on their wall. Installing the app allows the scammers to collect users’ personal data and send spam messages to all of the users’ friends.



Zodiac sign shift



Astronomer Parke Kunkle had said that due to changes in the Earth’s alignment, the dates corresponding to those of zodiac signs have also changed, and that instead of 12, there are now 13 zodiac signs.



Pulling their hair out in frustration, distraught astrology fans have taken to the Internet to express their disgust. Those who have had their zodiac signs tattooed on their body mull the possibility of having them removed. Some couples who have had their astrological compatibility charts drawn up are now reassessing their relationships. And what to do now with those zodiac sign-bearing necklaces, earrings and bracelets they had bought and worn all these years?



According to astrologers, there is no reason to panic. Kunkle was referring to the sidereal astrology which differs from the tropical zodiac followed in Western astrology. Sidereal astrology, which is fixed and practiced more in the East, bases its principles on the actual position of the planets in relation to the stars. Tropical zodiac, also referred to as the "moving zodiac" because of the drifting equinox, is based on the view of the heavens as seen from the Earth some 2,000 years ago.



Ophiuchus, according to astrologers, is in fact not a new zodiac sign it is touted to be. It has long been accepted as the 13th zodiac sign — but only in sidereal astrology. What this all means is that, no matter what Kunkle said, your zodiac sign didn’t change at all.



Astrology fans protest



Despite the clarification from astrologers, some fans refuse to be pacified. They continue to flood social networking sites, astrology websites and forums with comments expressing disapproval over news of the zodiac sign shift. While some say they feel more "at home" with their new sign, majority feel "betrayed," like it’s tantamount to being told they were adopted by their family.



"How did I not know the zodiac signs changed? My life has been turned upside down, I’m an Aquarius now.. WEIRD. It’s like saying you’re adopted." — Tonja Doucet on Twitter



"My astrology sign just went from a lion to a creature that is rendered defenseless by rubber bands. Gee thanks for the upgrade astrologists." — Alby Cam on Twitter



"My zodiac sign apparently changed. And sorry, folks, but so did my sexual orientation." — Sean Conner on Twitter



"This is BS im still a Gemini not a Taurus I really don’t care what they say no one can change me! Gemini for life." — Amuto4everr on Youtube.



"Waa..I’m no longer a Taurus, now I’m Aries…tsk tsk. At least I still have horns." — Raymund Cequeña on Facebook





Leonor Albino writes for Schooley Mitchell Telecom Consultants, North America's largest independent telecom consulting company. www.schooleymitchell.com