Facebook users warned vs Paul-Walker crash scam

Movie actor Paul Walker, who endeared himself to many Filipinos for his efforts to help victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda, has become the unfortunate star of a new video scam targeting Facebook users. The scam is disguised as a video supposedly detailing the crash that killed Walker, security vendor Bitdefender said Tuesday (Manila time). "Bogus messages circulate on the social network in variants such as '[Full Video] Paul Walker Car Crash Video' or '[SHOCKING VIDEO] Watch Paul Walker Horrific Car Crash Caught On Camera!!!!!!!'" Bitdefender's Bianca Stanescu said in a blog post. Some users are even offered “free” membership at one of the dubious movie websites the scammers are promoting - in exchange for confidential banking data such as Card Verification Value (CVV). "In the end, users never get to see footage of Paul Walker’s car accident, but end up with their money and personal details lost," she said. Walker, one actor on the popular "Fast & Furious" films, died in a car accident shortly after attending a charity event for victims of Yolanda. Stanescu said Facebook users are told they will get the videos after posting the message on their timeline. But in reality, doing this will spread the scam further. "After finally clicking on the car crash videos, Facebook users are brought to dubious websites that redirect them to rogue movie downloads or malicious browser extensions," she said. Stanescu said this was not the first time cyber-criminals "abuse a celebrity’s death and fabricate stories and rumors based on it." She cited one instance in 2011, when a Facebook scam claimed King of Pop Michael Jackson faked his death on June 25, 2009. "A click on the bogus video led users to fraudulent applications designed to steal sensitive information," she said. Meantime, Bitdefender advised users to keep their operating system, antivirus and other software updated to keep from being victimized. — DVM, GMA News