Cybercriminals start relying on cross-platform scams

Apr 18, 2012 07:52 GMT  ·  By

Pinterest users may come across a “pin” that advertises adult pictures which feature Canadian pop star Justin Bieber. Experts warn that the entire thing is a scam that tries to lure the customers of the social media site to a classic Facebook scheme.

Bitdefender experts found that internauts who fall for the trap and click on the link that allegedly points to more pictures of Justin Bieber are taken to a Facebook page that promises more adult content.

In the end, victims are led to a site that hosts surveys. As in most cases, each time someone completes the shady poll, the cybercriminals that run the operation earn a certain amount of money.

Researchers believe that these “cross-platform” scams mainly address individuals who are highly active on social media websites.

Also, Pinterest has become very enticing to many cybercrooks because it mainly relies on pictures instead of text, thus ensuring a higher rate of success for the ones that run the scheme.