Whitney Houston’s Death Triggers New Facebook and Twitter Scams
Tuesday, February 14th 2012 (SAN DIEGO, CA) – The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to beware of a new scam regarding the superstar’s recent passing. Whenever a celebrity dies, scam artists waste no time exploiting the news to sucker people into clicking on malicious links. Cybercriminals are preying on the public’s fascination of the recent tragedy to gain access to private information.
Since the news came out of Houston’s death, Twitter and Facebook have been bombarded with responses to the tragedy, creating a perfect target for cybercriminals to access personal information from unknowing victims.
One popular Twitter scam disguises itself under “RIP Whitney Houston” clicking on the link in the rigged Twitter post takes people to a blog dedicated to Houston's career, but the blog automatically redirects them to a Web page offering different Whitney Houston wallpapers.
Downloading wallpaper then triggers yet another offer to download Whitney Houston ringtones, and, no matter what you do, the devious Web page eventually takes you to a survey site that asks for your cellphone number.
On Facebook, a wall post with the subject "I cried watching this video. RIP Whitney Houston," followed by a link to what promises to be a YouTube video is in fact a link that leads to several other websites until you reach a similar survey site.
To protect yourself from Whitney Houston hoaxes and other ones that are sure to come, the BBB asks you to follow these simple rules.
Don’t click on the links. Use your mouse to hover over the links provided in any website and you will see they do not lead to the website in question.
Never download anything that looks suspicious. Even if it comes from a friend on Facebook or Twitter, this will keep your personal information safe.
Keep the BBB in the know. Send your BBB information about any new scams so we can further investigate!
Make sure your anti-virus software is updated. Besides basic common sense, it will be your strongest line of defense in combating rigged websites and malicious software.
For more information about scams and other cyber security issues, visit BBB.org or call 858.496.2131.
As a trusted brand, the BBB is often a target of scams and attacks. Please rest assured that we are doing everything in our power, to stop the culprits of this attack. Please continue to send your scams to info@sandiego.bbb.org, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call your BBB at 858.496.2131.
