PC Tools have discovered a new way cyber criminals are trying to
prey on the fans of the Twilight series with anticipation of the
upcoming "New Moon" movie reaching a fever pitch. The movie comes out
this Friday.
This scheme centers on the author of the best-selling series, Stephanie Meyer.
According to security software company PC Tools ,
fans searching for more information about her and the movie will come
across a site promising an online interview. Instead, it’s a "Vampire
Byte" to suck out your financial information and install malware on
your computer.
Here’s how the scam works:
- First, a user searches online "Stephanie Meyer" and a result for
"Stephanie Meyer at 365Multimedia.com" returns with a description of
"Stephanie Meyer interview on Twilight the movie starring Robert
Pattinson and Kristen Stewart" - When clicked on, this link then redirect users to a window
informing them that they are infected with malware and they are then
advised to download a phony antivirus software product to get rid of
the infection. - As they download and install the phony antivirus software they are asked for credit card information
- Malware is then installed on the user’s computer and any financial
information entered is sent off to cybercriminals-and no one gets any
information about Twilight
PC Tools says that this "Vampire Byte" is just the tip of the
iceberg for Twilight fans and that more scams around Twilight will be
coming out in the days to come.
Disclaimer: This Threat Update has been prepared
solely for informational purposes. To the extent permitted by law, PC
Tools has no liability or responsibility to you whatsoever for any
damage or loss caused to you or your computer system as a result of
relying on this update.
