SCAM OF THE WEEK: That Free "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" Download Online? It's a Scam!
Posted
on Friday, January 3, 2020
in
Privacy & Security
If you're looking to stream or download blockbuster movies when they're still in theaters, you probably shouldn't. Why not? Well, first and foremost, this is called piracy and it is illegal. Secondly, any "free downloads" you do find will likely be a scam.
Following the release of the newest movie in the Star Wars saga, cyber scammers are creating fake websites and social media accounts that appear to be affiliated with the official film franchise. The sites and social media accounts offer free streams or downloads of the blockbuster file-all you have to do is sign up for an account. Don't fall for it! If you enter your credit card details during account setup, this information will be stolen and your "free download" will actually be malicious malware.
These criminals have managed to get their dangerous websites to show as a top result in popular search engines, and they use social media to spread their "free download" links all across the web. Always remember the following to keep yourself safe from these scams:
- Never download anything from an unfamiliar or questionable website. Especially if the download could be stolen and, therefore, illegal material.
- Never give information to a website you can't trust. Even if you don't enter credit card data, simply creating an account makes your email address more vulnerable to future scams-especially phishing attacks.
- Never click on an unexpected or suspicious link. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!
Stop, Look, and Think. Don't be fooled.
The KnowBe4 Security Team