Facebook Scam Alert: Child Ghost Caught on Camera Scam Downloads Malware

Facebook users have been plagued with many paranormal videos in their newsfeed; but beware before you try clicking on any of these links. Malwarebytes reported that these videos are hoaxes, scams and lure user to download malware.

Christopher Boyd, Malwarebytes blogger, takes us through a spooky train ride based on quite a few of the paranormal videos doing the rounds. The stations of the ride include:

• An alleged footage of an actual ghost attack (click-n-play(dot)info), the trailer talks about ghost child, mother caught on camera. Once clicked, there is no ghost in sight but installs a PUP.Optional.InstallBrain.A, garden variety malware

• Asawang video from Philippines showing a ‘mythical shape-shifting were-dog/vampire/terrifying thing’ named Aswang (trending-video(dot)com/aswang). The video image is lifted from XTRO, a film, and has been used in hoaxes earlier as well. Clicking on this downloads ‘scan your PC’ malware.
• Mermaids videos (available at secretosdefacebook(dot)com) says “Incredible – we found a mermaid inside a pyramid!” in Spanish and leads to an iLivid install, which is actually a PUP.Optional.Bandoo malware.

• There is another video of a huge great white shark tearing apart a sea captain (available at camtape(dot)pw/?shark). The image is related to legendary Megalodon Shark and once you share the link, it redirects you to a page of surveys filled with offers and downloads.

And finally, the blogger says,

That concludes our spooky train ride through a mid-May haunted house of doom. Please keep your hands inside the cart until the gates have opened, and avoid clicking on fake Facebook videos at the gift counter…”

Nothing could have been a better way of describing these malwares. BTW, did any of these paranormals visit your Facebook page??