14 DAY TRIAL // Scammers are posting fake episodes of The Simpsons on video sharing websites to trick users into participating in adware-pushing surveys.
Security researchers from antivirus vendor Kaspersky Lab have spotted such scams on Dailymotion, the second-most trafficked video sharing site after YouTube.
The rogue video entries claim to be full episodes of the highly popular animated TV series, but when users try to play them a message claims they were removed due to copyright violations.
This is a social engineering trick that take advantage of the fact that people are used to seeing copyright infringement error messages on video sharing sites.
The intention is to get them to visit links included in descriptions as alternative places to watch the allegedly removed episodes.
These links lead to websites that display an video player thumbnail and an associated message claiming the content is locked until one of several "offers" is completed.
The offers involve taking surveys or playing games that try to trick users into installing an Internet toolbar called IWON.
This application bombards users with ads while surfing the Web and its purpose is to generate money for the scammers.
"'IWON' (example file name: IWONSetup2.3.76.6.ZLman000.exe) is actually the infamous MyWebSearch Adware type of application, detected by most AV products, though not all," explains Costin Raiu, chief security expert at Kaspersky.
"Though this application is not directly malicious, you may want to stay away from it, since installing the app won’t bring Homer to your screen and in addition, [...] online ads can indirectly infect your computer even when shown by brand programs," he warns.
Most popular animated shows like South Park, The Simpsons or The Family Guy, make episodes available online for free on their official sites, but some of them enforce country restrictions, leading to many fans searching for them on the Internet. Unfortunately, cybercriminals are prepared to take advantage of that.