Scammers are at it again with their attempts to get users to download unnecessary software, visit pointless (and potentially dangerous) sites and filling out surveys for their own profit.
Earlier this week, we got a tip off from one of our followers and friends on Twitter: @bartblaze about a twitter account pretending to be speaking for Malwarebytes.
The twitter account, @malwarebytesx, has posted heavily over the last couple days about Malwarebytes Anti-Malware being available (both legitimately and a cracked version) at a posted link. They even created a variation of our logo and got 51 people to follow them!
The link leads to a blogspot page titled “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.75 Full + Serial” that is covered in our signage and provides a link to download “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware” with text and graphics directly from our own website.
After clicking on the “Download Now” button, you are presented with a download page requesting a small favor.
You can imagine however, that the favor soon becomes a seriously tasking experience, not only for your stamina and patience but also for your system as completing each ad requires either giving up your personal information or downloading unwanted adware including media players and browser search bars!
Unfortunately for anyone who has fallen for this scam, this website does not belong to Malwarebytes nor is supported by one of our authorized distributors.
In fact, you can’t even get the file at the end of the surveys now, since it has been taken down. Scammers make money off of these types of tricks, making people believe they can get some kind of free download or special software by filling out ads when in reality, the actual reward doesn’t exist and the scammer makes a revenue off of every person they get to fill out the surveys.
After looking up some background information on the scammer, I discovered that they have tried the same thing with a “cracked” copy of Rosetta Stone, the popular language teaching software.
Malwarebytes has since contacted Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites involved in this scam to get the posts and account of the scammer removed.
Don’t become a victim and always download software from legitimate sites. Even if you just Google “Malware” or the phrase “Malware Removal,” legitimate sources to download our product are within the first few results.
Tell your friends and if you encounter a survey site, maybe you should try finding your download somewhere else.
Good luck and safe surfing!
