Google ads are once again caught in the web of scammers. A new type of attack targeting Amazon searches redirects users to fake sites. It even redirects to Microsoft’s fake support hotline.
Google’s Amazon ad redirects to fake Microsoft site
A new tech support scam has targeted Google ads to trick users into calling fake hotlines. The fake ads feature Amazon’s logo and a link to what appears to be the real site. Clicking on the link leads to a page that looks like Microsoft Defender’s support line.
The page, which impersonates Microsoft, claims that the user’s computer is infected and provides a phone number for the “Microsoft Support Team”. Calls to this number result in victims falling into the hands of hackers. People posing as a technical support team are trying to scam users.
The scam page locks the browser screen in full-screen mode, making it difficult to close the app. In Chrome, for example, even if you close the page, the fake site reopens when you open the browser.
These ads, which appear to be Amazon ads and then run a tech support scam, were reported to Google. The software giant took action and removed the ads. It was also reported that Amazon will also review its ads for security.
Google has been used many times before for fraud attacks through ads. Therefore, users are advised to be careful of unusual redirects when clicking on ads in search results.
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