14 DAY TRIAL // Security researchers warn that scammers are targeting people interested in the new Toy Story 3 movie or game. Spam campaigns promising the opportunity to watch the movie online or play the game for free lead to survey scams.
Toy Story 3 is the third installment in the Toy Story series. The 3D animated film has premiered last month, but it has yet to official arrive in theaters in many Western European countries like Spain, Germany, Belgium, Austria or Portugal. So far it has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, making it a must see film for a lot of people, especially children.
And since cyber crooks never miss a chance to exploit a subject of interest to the masses, Toy Story 3 makes no exception. Security researchers from antivirus vendor Sunbelt Software, warn that several such scams targeting the Toy Story fans have made their way on YouTube.
“One of the most popular tactics is advertising the 'full movie' on Youtube,” Sunbelt's Christopher Boyd, explains. These rogue videos with titles like “Watch Toy Story 3 Movie online free” or “Watch Toy Story 3 FREE Online” display links to other websites, which promise users to give them access to this “premium content” if they complete one of several surveys.
These surveys are part of affiliate marketing scams and will generally end up with the users being billed for some expensive service they don't need. The personal and financial information of the victims will also be compromised in the process and their email address will more than likely receive more spam.
But the Toy Story 3 movie is not the only lure scammers are using. There's also a new Toy Story 3 game, which might appeal to children. Pages offering full playable versions of this game are fake and lead to adware. Unfortunately, they also display a wide variety of adult-oriented ads.
“Sites asking to install programs in return for the Toy Story game or movie should be avoided, along with any promises that sound too good to be true on Youtube. Ensure your children stick to those rules and your PC, personal information and sanity will hopefully remain intact,” Mr. Boyd advises.
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