ESET, a global pioneer in proactive protection for 25-years, alerts users on the latest scam spreading on Facebook, which claims that Formula 1 racing driving star Michael Schumacher has died.
Scammers and fraudsters think nothing of scraping the barrel of bad taste, if they believe it will help them earn a few dollars.
Almost six months ago the motor racing legend suffered a severe head injury in a skiing accident, which saw him – until very recently – placed in a medically induced coma. Now, scammers are saying he has died. But, sadly, ghoulish Facebook users are helping for the scam to spread – by clicking on the link.
If any of the users clicks on the link, he will be taken to a third-party webpage like below.
Users might think that it’s just a case of clicking on the video thumbnail to watch a news report of Michael Schumacher’s death, but they are wrong. Because if anyone click on this link, you are told that the user need to share the link with your Facebook friends to watch the video.
At this point alarm bells should be ringing left, right and centre. These video will ask to share video *before* you see it. If this was a genuine news report, it wouldn’t tell you to share it before you see. Users should understand the fact that, how there is no word in legitimate news outlets on Schumacher’s alleged death.
The truth is that cold-hearted scammers are trying to drive traffic to the webpage, because if you do share it with your friends you are helping them generate traffic to their site. And the more people who attempt to watch the video, the more money they will make. You will be taken to a webpage which pays a small amount of affiliate cash to the scammers, helping to fill their coffers.
If you made the mistake of clicking on a link like this, make sure that you did not share it with your friends and delete any strange posts from your Facebook newsfeed. Remember to warn your online friends to be wary of similar scams, and to always think twice before sharing links.
