Kaspersky Reminds Fraud In The Name Of Barbie And Oppenheimer Films

Examples of phishing sites from Barbie films. (Kaspersky)

JAKARTA - Barbie and Oppenheimer are quickly becoming the two most anticipated new films this year. Unfortunately, as is often the case with what is popular like this, fraudsters are taking the opportunity to exploit Barbie and Oppenheimer's great popularity for their evil motives.

Kaspersky recently discovered that scammers are impinging users by distributing phishing scams, which prey on euphoria surrounding film releases, with the aim of fraud to obtain the victim's personal money and data.

"The first show and exciting event present a wave of anticipation, but amid the furore, it is important for users to remain vigilant and comply with basic online security rules," Olga Svistunova, security expert at Kaspersky said in a statement received in Jakarta.

One of the pages of fraud discovered by Kaspersky captivates users with a special offer on a Barbie doll to coincide with the release of the film. In addition to ordinary dolls, users are interested in buying limited dolls from the latest film edition, including one of the main actress Margot Robbie for around 12 pounds sterling.

When users decide what to buy, they are redirected to a purchase form that requires personal identification details such as name, address, phone number, and banking information.

Unsuspected users unknowingly send their money and personal data directly to the fraudster. In addition to financial risks, this scam also poses serious privacy concerns, as the stolen data has the potential to be sold on the Dark Web market.

While the scam related to Oppenheimer, cybersecurity experts see that bad actors cheat people by offering movie streaming for free, but the real intention is to steal banking information and user money. In this scenario, fraudsters often use tactics such as asking for a nominal fee of one dollar or euro for registration.

However, this seemingly unusual payment requirement can pose a danger sign. To continue registration, they need a bank card to be linked, thus allowing the debit to be accessed illegally and difficult to cancel from the user's account.