December 27th, 2022 at 07:45 by Rhonda Bachmann – The US Federal Police (FBI) recently issued a warning about advertising on search engines. Cyber criminals might use the ads to distribute malware and steal personal information. Users should therefore use ad blockers, among other things, and check the URL of the individual links.
The US Federal Police FBI recently issued a new cyber crime warning. Scammers would buy ads on search engines that were similar to the products and well-known brands they were looking for. However, the respective websites would contain ransomware or steal users’ login credentials and other personal information. The FBI even offers some tips on how individuals and businesses can protect themselves from these criminal acts.
FBI urges caution on search engines
As the federal agency writes, users should exercise caution when visiting promoted links on search engines, even if they are not malicious. Criminals would often buy ads that resemble the websites of the products or brands they are actually looking for. The malicious links might also appear at the top of the search results.
If users were looking for special programs, for example, they would find links on the cyber criminals’ websites that contained malware. Advertising is also often used for alleged exchange platforms for cryptocurrencies. Users are prompted to enter their credentials and financial information, giving scammers access to personal information and money.
For protection, users should check the URL of the ad before clicking any link. Malicious domains would look similar to the pages you’re looking for, but might contain letters that have been swapped. Rather than searching for a company or financial institution, enter the correct company URL right away. The FBI also recommends ad blockers that can be used to hide the advertising.
Source: FBI, Golem
