Spider-Man: No Way Home, the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), has been showered in praise from critics and fans alike. The third outing for Tom Holland’s Spidey, which is out in UK cinemas right now, currently boasts an impressive 9.2 out of 10 rating on iMDB, and a hugely impressive 95 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. That makes this Marvel blockbuster one of the top rated films of 2021. But with uncertainty around the spread of Omicron – or some simply wanting to avoid the cost of a cinema ticket, it could be tempting to see what all the fuss is about with an illegal free stream or download. However, this illicit method could end up costing you far more, thanks to a scam cybercrooks are running right now.
Security experts have issued a warning that fraudsters are trying to trick people into handing over their bank details after promising a way to watch Spider-Man: No Way Home from your living room.
Researchers from leading anti-virus provider Kaspersky have found “numerous” examples of phishing websites – that allegedly offer a stream or download for the new Spidey movie – that are designed to steal people’s bank details.
The cybersecurity experts provided an example of one such site, which allegedly asks for bank details so it can “verify” a user’s account. The site claims to offer the ability to easily download the latest movies and stream movies in HD quality.
It also claims that they “guarantee that no charges will be applied for validating your account” and that “no charges will appear on your credit card statement unless you upgrade to a Premium membership or make a purchase”.
But this is all just a ploy to lull targets into a false sense of security. Once criminals have your bank details they’ll be able to do with it as they please, potentially emptying an account or taking out as much money as possible.
Speaking about the threat, Tatyana Shcherbakova, security expert at Kaspersky, said: “Fans’ expectations are through the roof right now, arguably higher than for any film. Everyone who has ever been a fan of Spidey has their own theories about the films, which can be exploited by cybercriminals. Forgetting about cybersecurity, the audience is in a hurry to find out the secrets of the premiere movie, and fraudsters are using fan arts and trailer cuttings as bait to make victims download malicious files and enter banking details. We encourage users to be alert to the pages they visit and not download files from unverified sites.”
Kaspersky also offered advice on how to avoid falling victims to such scams. They recommend…
● Avoid links promising early viewings of films or TV series. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of the content, check with your entertainment provider
● Check the authenticity of the website before entering personal data and only use official, trusted web pages to watch or download movies. Double-check URL formats and company name spellings
● Pay attention to the extensions of files you are downloading. A video file will never have a .exe or .msi extension
● Use a reliable security solution, such as Kaspersky Security Cloud, that identifies malicious attachments and blocks phishing sites
www.express.co.uk
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