Welcome to the intriguing world of cybersecurity, where even the brightest stars of Hollywood find themselves unwittingly entangled in the ever-evolving battle against cybercriminals.
McAfee has brought to light an alarming revelation: celebrities aren’t only loved by their fans but also coveted by scammers and it turned out they really love the Barbie movie.
Scammers’ favorite celebrities to trick people
In the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity, it’s not just our bank accounts and personal info that are at risk; even our favorite celebs aren’t safe from cyber scammers’ tricks and according to McAfee, here are the stars scammers love the most:
- Ryan Gosling: First in line is Ryan Gosling, the guy who rocked it in “Barbie” this summer. But guess what? Scammers love him even more, using his name to trick folks into malware traps.
- Emily Blunt: Emily Blunt takes the second spot. Cyber scammers just can’t resist using her name to get people to click on all the wrong links.
- Jennifer Lopez: According to McAfee, J.Lo’s not only famous for her talents but also for being the third fave of cyber scammers.
- Zendaya: Rising star Zendaya, known for “Spider-Man” and “Euphoria,” makes the list too. Her name’s become a favorite for online tricksters.
- Kevin Costner: Kevin Costner is fifth on the list. Apparently, scammers see his popularity as an opportunity to con people.
- Elon Musk: X, Tesla and SpaceX’s chief Elon Musk ranks sixth. His tech world influence makes him a juicy target for scammers.
- Al Roker: Weather guru Al Roker finds himself on the list too, often used to mislead people into online security mishaps.
- Margot Robbie: Margot Robbie, the star of “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Birds of Prey,” “Barbie” and more takes the eighth spot. It seems like scammers know she’s a big hit and take advantage of it.
- Bad Bunny: Chart-topping reggaeton artist Bad Bunny also gets a shout-out as a favorite for scammers to mess with people online.
- America Ferrera: Rounding out the top ten is America Ferrera. She is the third star of the Barbie movie on the list. It seems like scammer really like the Barbie movie.
Why do scammers use celebrities?
In simpler terms: Scammers use celebrities’ names because they’re like bait. People trust and love celebrities, so when scammers drop a celeb’s name, we’re more likely to fall for their tricks. It’s like a clickbait, where we can’t resist checking it out.
The emotional connection we have with our favorite stars can make us drop our guard, and scammers know it. They tell stories or create fake endorsements using celebs to make their scams look real. It’s like tricking us into doing something we shouldn’t, like clicking on a harmful link or sharing personal info.
Also, scammers mess with search engines. When we Google a celeb, they make their fake websites pop up in the results, hoping we’ll visit them by accident.
Celebrities have fans of all ages and backgrounds, so scammers use their names to target a lot of people at once. It’s like casting a big fishing net to catch as many unsuspecting folks as possible.
So, the bottom line is, be careful when you see a celebrity’s name online. Scammers use our trust and love for celebs to trick us, and we don’t want to fall for their schemes. Stay sharp and use good online safety practices.
