14 DAY TRIAL // The latest fake advertisement that points users to survey sites and pages that collect tons of personal information was found on Lady Gaga’s official Facebook profile, promising unsuspecting individuals free iPads.
“Lady Gaga's new iPad comes out in 3 days! So for the next 72 hours we will be hosting a massive giveaway to all the Mother Monster fans. Sign up and receive your special Lady Gaga edition iPad in time for the Holidays! For contest rules and registration visit the link below,” reads the fake post.
According to Graham Cluley, the hoax was quickly taken down, but considering that the artist has over 45 million fans on Facebook, it’s very likely that many of them already fell for the scam.
It seems as Lady Gaga is not the only artist with numerous fans whose Facebook profile is targeted. The social media pages of other famous bands such as Maroon 5 and Blink 182 are also targeted by the same phony message.
Users who click on the link, hoping to get the free iPad, are actually taken to survey pages which earn the crooks money for each individual they redirect their way. In other situations they may be pointed to a site that requires sensitive data that’s allegedly needed to claim the price.
Whichever the scenario may be, no one ever actually wins anything, except for the crooks, who make thousands of dollars in a single day.
The posts and the domains they led to were taken down, but since it’s easy for cybercriminals to compromise other ones, internauts should expect to see more of these malicious plots in the upcoming days.
As always, beware of advertisements that promise fabulous prizes, even if they’re posted on the website of a celebrity that seems to have what it takes to launch a big giveaway.