This scam comes in the form of an email promising a sneak peek at Spider-Man: No Way Home, as long as you put your credit card information into the attached link. While this might seem obvious to some, this movie is a huge event, so the chance to see it makes the risk seem worth it for any mega fans out there. Avoiding this scam is somewhat easy, even if you’re tempted to click on everything related to Spider-Man in anticipation of his upcoming adventure. By being cautious and installing the proper software, you can avoid any sinister schemes from the people who are sending out these links. Cue scammers looking to take advantage of this audience. Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky detected a lot of fraudster activity around the release of this film, stating: The emails that are circulating are essentially well-constructed promotional emails (using official materials like logos and posters) telling users that they can see the movie for free, and even download it onto their computer, all by entering their credit card information into the email. Obviously, this doesn’t work, and instead harvests people’s credit card information for insidious purposes. Fortunately, there aren’t many cases of people falling for this, so the specifics of the scam are still somewhat unknown. However, that means anyone who has fallen for it might not know what to expect. If you think you’ve fallen victim to this scam or something similar, the best thing you can do to protect yourself is immediately contact your bank and cancel your card. It would also pay to keep an eye on your accounts over the coming weeks to make sure no unusual activity is going on. One of the best ways to avoid such a trap is to install antivirus software. When given access to your email account, antivirus software can give every incoming email a quick scan and warn you of any suspicious links. Here are some of the best antivirus software options on the market. In a more general online security sense, it’s always a good idea to install a VPN. Using a VPN while browsing online is like wearing a mask in a public area. It will help you avoid detection, as well as any harmful third parties, like phishing scams or hackers. Here are some of the most secure VPNs on the market. Another good idea is to use a password manager. Password managers help you stay on top of your various accounts and login information, meaning you won’t have to rely on your memory, or storing them somewhere where they might be compromised. Here is a list of our favorite password managers.
