JABAR EKSPRES – Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has uncovered a phishing scam to deceive unwary users, caught up in the euphoria surrounding movie releases, with the aim of illegally seizing their money and personal data.
Barbie and Oppenheimer have been two of the most anticipated movies of the year. Unfortunately, as with any popular phenomenon, scammers stopped at nothing to quickly exploit the immense popularity of Barbie and Oppenheimer for their nefarious purposes.
Kaspersky, in a report on Friday (7/21) stated that one of the identified forms of fraud was through a scam page offering special deals on Barbie dolls, in conjunction with the movie’s release.
Users are attracted by offers to buy limited edition dolls from the movie, including one of the lead actresses, Margot Robbie, at suspicious prices.
Once users decided on an item to purchase, they were directed to a purchase form that required personal identification details, such as name, address, phone number and banking information.
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Without being vigilant, many users unknowingly send their money and personal data directly into the hands of scammers. In addition to the financial risks, such scams also jeopardize users’ privacy as stolen data can be sold on Dark Web marketplaces.
Not only was the Barbie movie targeted by scammers, the Oppenheimer movie, which was also scheduled for release on the same day, was the target of another scam. The scammers offered to stream the movie for free, but the real intention was to steal banking information and money from users.
In these fraudulent schemes, scammers often ask for a small fee, such as one dollar or euro, for registration. This suspicious payment request should alert cautious users.
To continue with the registration, the scammers ask for a bank card to be linked, which allows them to commit further fraud and is difficult to cancel from the user’s account.
