Cybercriminals are now launching attacks using the weight loss diabetes drug Ozempic to steal personal information. As the frenzy for Ozempic continues to grow, cybersecurity experts are cautioning users against cheap online deals that could pose risks of financial losses and data theft. Experts from Kaspersky have discovered an alarming trend of legitimate-looking phishing pages offering the popular weight loss drug to consumers interested in shedding pounds.
The appetite-suppressing and weight loss properties of the diabetes drug Ozempic have led to a new craze among celebrities and, consequently, the public, driving up sales by 58% compared to the previous year and causing a surge in prices. However, it’s not just pharmaceutical companies that are benefiting from Ozempic’s popularity. Kaspersky experts have uncovered a series of phishing scams targeting individuals hoping to lose weight quickly like their favorite celebrities but who cannot afford the increasingly high prices. Scammers create fake websites offering Ozempic at lower prices, asking unsuspecting victims to fill out a form with their personal details such as name, address, and banking information. The web pages are often difficult to distinguish from most shopping sites, making it easy for predators to trap their prey.
In addition to Ozempic sales, some of these resources also offer to download an app that helps track progress. Victims of the scam risk losing money, paying for a fake product, or receiving nothing at all. Even more concerning is the risk of inadvertently handing over names, addresses, bank details, and other sensitive information to criminals.
Scammers quickly adapt to social and cultural trends to trap desperate victims looking for alternative ways to join the latest fad, such as Barbenheimer tickets, Mortal Kombat games, or cheap vacations. Kaspersky’s phishing prevention system blocked over 709 million attempts to access phishing and scam websites in 2023, marking a 40% increase from the previous year.
Experts advise the following to avoid falling victim to such phishing scams:
- Obtain your medications only on the advice of a doctor or pharmacist and use only the recommended and approved drugs.
- Think twice before clicking on a good deal. If something seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t.
- Do not open emails or click on links within them unless you are sure you can trust the sender.
- Even if the sender appears legitimate, if the content of the message seems odd, use alternative means of communication to verify the content with the sender.
- Before interacting with a website, search its name on Google, review comments, and verify its creation date through WHOIS services. Be cautious if the domain name appears to have been registered recently.
- Use a proven security solution like Kaspersky Premium while browsing the internet. These solutions have the ability to detect and block spam and phishing campaigns thanks to their access to international threat intelligence networks.
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