Woolwich Attack Likely to Attract Online Scams

ByCraig Haley

Social media users should be aware of scams aimed at exploiting the tragic events at Woolwich, as scammers often capitalise on events such as this.

The attack that occurred on Wednesday, 22nd May has become a trending topic on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. #woolwich became a trending topic on Twitter hours after the attack and a RIP Facebook Page to the victim reached over a million fans only several hours after being created.

Because of this popularity on social media sites, scammers are certainly going to try and take advantage of this by using it as bait to lure unsuspecting victims into a variety of different scams.

We advise our readers to be wary of suspicious links appearing on the Internet and social media sites that claim to offer “exclusive” or “unseen” footage related to the attack as these links may lead to websites that harbour malware.

Often these scams work by telling victims they need to install plugins or codecs to get the video to “work”.

Also be careful of links or sites offering “breaking news” related to the story.

As always we only recommend getting your news from outlets such as the BBC and other mainstream media outlets.

And always ensure you have up-to-date, reliable security software installed at all times.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest cybersecurity threats and our tips to stay safe online. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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