Expert Finds New Scam Post Launch Of TV Series The Last Of Us

Cybersecurity experts discovered fraud ahead of the launch of the game The Last of Us (photo: Kaspersky)

JAKARTA - The Last of Us, one of the most anticipated series because The Last of Us is an adaptation of the original PlayStation game of the same name, finally arrives on the HBO channel on January 15, 2023.

Knowing The Last of Us will have hundreds of thousands of new fans, cybercriminals seem to have devised a new scheme to spread new scams and malware.

After watching The Last of Us, surely many viewers are interested in playing this game and controlling the actions of their favorite characters themselves. But if they are unfamiliar with this game series before, chances are they don't know that The Last of Us is exclusive to PlayStation.

In particular, they may not be aware that the first part of the game is only slated for a PC version release on March 3, 2023.

It is this lack of public awareness that ultimately provides the motivation for cybercriminals to actively exploit it. Where, Kaspersky researchers found a site that offers to download "The Last of Us Part II" on PC.

Users who do not know that this version of the game is not yet available for computers will download malicious files instead of the actual game.

This malicious file can then hide on the computer undetected for years and you will not even notice something malicious as it may not cause any visible harm, it will just silently launch its work.

In addition, Kaspersky experts also found phishing sites offering activation codes for The Last of Us. In order to download the file with the code, users are asked to choose one of the "gifts" that they will receive along with the game. For example, to get the latest $100 PlayStation 5 or Roblox Gift Card.

However, after that the user is asked to enter credentials and bank account data to pay a commission fee. In fact, by providing data to cyber criminals, users' money will be stolen without a trace, while their personal data will later be used in other fraudulent schemes.