New scam with a taste of old con
ADOTAS – The proliferation of ad networks and the online ad-buying ecosystem has unfortunately garnered the interest of scammers and spammers, who attempt to use these tools to spread the most malicious of codes. But con artists appear to be taking a step back toward the traditional scam by posing as media agencies.
For several days last week, most visitors to Gawker Media sites were treated to their usual spicy content, but a number were also greeted with an unexpected installation of malware. The Suzuki ads certainly looked legitimate and were provided by Sparks SMG, a division of Publicis Groupe, but in actuality the buyers were impostors using similar email addresses. The scammers had enough knowledge of Sparks clients and the advertising world to fool Gawker employees.
But displaying almost frightening complexity, the ads only infected visitors in intervals. It took days for Gawker to realize something was awry.
It’s a traditional con game with a technological twist — something that should keep all sides of the online ad community on their toes.
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