Want to watch Avatar 2 free? Beware! This online scam could steal your money

If you’re planning to watch recently released films which have earned plaudits at the box office, you better watch your back. One wrong click could steal all your money. Hackers and cybercriminals keep inventing new ways to scam users to steal their data and money. They lure in unsuspecting customers with the premise of various offers or schemes and scam them of their data and money. Moreover, new scams steal the victim’s money by offering free movie streaming. A similar scam is doing the rounds where viewers who want to watch the latest Oscar worthy movies are getting scammed, according to security experts at Kaspersky.

How does the scam take place

Viewers who wish to watch movies such as Everything Everywhere All at Once, Avatar 2 and others for free are being lured in by scamming websites which ask for subscription fees to watch the movies and gain access to the platform. Unsuspecting customers who entered their secret details like their bank information exposed, which is then stolen by cybercriminals. This opens up your bank account to unauthorized financial transactions.

Olga Svistunova, a security expert at Kaspersky said, “The Oscars 2023 is lucrative for cybercriminals who intensify their malicious activity every year.”

How to stay safe

The rising scams are not limited to free movie streaming but free software and YouTube too.

Satnam Narang, Sr. Staff Research Engineer, Tenable said, “For well over two decades now, attackers have often taken advantage of users seeking out cracked or pirated software across the internet in various forms. As new technologies, social media platforms and search engines gained prominence, these attackers pivoted towards these new technologies to continue to target the subset of unsuspecting users seeking free versions of software that cost hundreds to thousands of dollars in order to infect them with malicious software.”

Kaspersky experts have also revealed tips to stay safe from such attacks. Kaspersky advises users to:

1. Pay attention to the official movie release dates in movie theaters, on streaming services, TV, DVD, or other sources

2. Check the authenticity of websites before entering personal data and only use official webpages to watch or download movies. Double-check URL formats and company name spellings.

3. Use a reliable security solution that identifies malicious attachments and blocks phishing sites.

4. Avoid links promising early viewings of content, and if you have any doubts about the authenticity of content check it with your entertainment provider.