Tag Archive for: scammers

10 celebrities that scammers ‘use’ to target users with virus, malware


Gadgets Now Bureau27 Oct, 2023, 07:05AM IST

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McAfee, revealed that Ryan Gosling, star of this summer’s hit movie, Barbie, topped the list of celebrities whose names are used most by scammers to create malware or risky sites. McAfee Labs created the list by identifying the big-name celebrities who most frequently generate unsafe search results that could lead consumers to unknowingly install malware and jeopardise their data, privacy, and identity. Within the top ten list, the popularity of Barbie shines through, with three of its stars making the Hacker Celebrity Hot list. The top ten list, which includes a combination of longtime talent and more recently well-known names, is as follows:

Ryan Gosling

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​Ryan Gosling​

He is a critically acclaimed actor and star of this summer’s hit film, Barbie.

Emily Blunt

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​Emily Blunt​

She is an esteemed actress known for her critically acclaimed roles, and star of this summer’s hit film “Oppenheimer.”

Jennifer Lopez

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​Jennifer Lopez​

An iconic figure in pop culture, known for her achievements as a singer, actress, and producer, with a string of critical acclaim.

Zendaya

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Zendaya

She is a critically acclaimed actress and singer

Kevin Costner

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Kevin Costner

An acclaimed actor and director, renowned for his role in the popular series “Yellowstone.”

Elon Musk

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Elon Musk

A prominent business magnate and tech entrepreneur, driving innovation across various industries.

Al Roker

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​Al Roker

The weather expert of TODAY, is an author, and an accomplished journalist.

Margot Robbie

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Margot Robbie

A critically acclaimed actress and star of this summer’s hit film, Barbie

Bad Bunny

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Bad Bunny

A highly acclaimed singer, and the first non-English language artist to claim Spotify’s title of the year’s most streamed artist.

America Ferrera

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America Ferrera

A distinguished actress noted for her performances, featuring in this summer’s blockbuster “Barbie.”

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Cryptocurrency Scammers Exploit ChatGPT-Powered Botnet on Social Platform X


Source: Adobe / safriibrahim

A recent investigation by researchers at Indiana University Bloomington has unveiled the use of a botnet powered by ChatGPT, a sophisticated AI language model developed by OpenAI, to promote cryptocurrency scams on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The botnet – dubbed Fox8 due to its connection with crypto-related websites – was composed of 1,140 accounts that utilized ChatGPT to generate and post content as well as engage with other posts. The auto-generated content aimed to entice unsuspecting users into clicking on links that led to crypto-hyping websites.

The researchers detected the botnet’s activity by identifying a specific phrase, “As an AI language model…,” which ChatGPT occasionally uses in response to certain prompts.

This led them to manually scrutinize accounts they suspected were operated by bots. Despite the relatively unsophisticated methods employed by the Fox8 botnet, it managed to publish seemingly convincing messages endorsing cryptocurrency sites, illustrating the ease with which AI can be harnessed for scams.

Micah Musser, an expert in AI-driven disinformation, believes that this discovery might only scratch the surface of a larger issue, given the popularity of large language models and chatbots.

“This is the low-hanging fruit,” Musser said in an interview with WIRED. “It is very, very likely that for every one campaign you find, there are many others doing more sophisticated things.”

OpenAI’s usage policy explicitly prohibits the use of its AI models for scams and disinformation. Researchers stress the challenge of identifying such botnets when they are effectively configured, as they could evade detection and manipulate algorithms to spread disinformation more effectively.

Filippo Menczer, a professor spearheading the University’s research into Fox8, said they only noticed the botnet because the scammers were sloppy. “Any pretty-good bad guys would not make that mistake,” he stated.

Spam Bots On X

Spam bots have long plagued the online crypto community, and are a common grievance among influencers within the space. Such bots are…

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Tesla Scammers Hack Linus Tech Tips, One Of YouTube’s Largest Channels


Scammers renamed popular YouTube channels as “Tesla” in a crypto phishing attempt