SCARS Institute’s Encyclopedia of Scams™ Published Continuously for 25 Years
SCARS™ Scam Alert: A New Kind Of Socially Engineered Scam
A New Kind Of Scam Is Appearing Thanks To Google Searches …
You are minding your own business searching Google or Bing for left-handed kumquats or spring-tailed dandy-lions and you see a link to an interesting website link in the search results.
You click on the link and it immediately redirects you to something else. A different website or page. If you have a good anti-malware application running it will block the malware that might have been downloaded by visiting this webpage. If you don’t let’s hope you have the wrong kind of phone or tablet – because YOU KNOW you should be using antivirus or antimalware software right?
This Is What Is Popping Up On An Unknown Number Of Websites After The Redirect (See Image)
Screen Capture of Scam Webpage
It has animations and speaks to how you are the 5 billionth person to search today, this week, whatever. It looks well designed – it shows other winners and how much they won!
But Like All Such Things, It Is A Socially Well-Engineered Scam
Was the original website a purposefully designed lure or honey pot, or was it one of the 60% of websites that have been hacked? Either way, it was a targeted weapon guided towards YOU. We all fall for this type of trap – since it is a linked website that fell within what you were looking for – it was natural that you would click on it. Once you did, they owned you – unless you had protection and recognized it for the trap it obviously was.
This is a perfect example of a well-crafted socially engineered scam. It is unavoidable. If gives no hint of its existence in advance.
The only protection is having the right software – such as Malwarebytes (what we use) and the scam avoidance discipline to STOP dead in your tracks, THINK about your next action, THEN ACT appropriately.
We rely on Google to screen for such traps, but clearly, all of the big tech companies have abandoned their responsibility. But each of us can learn to change our behaviors to prevent an accidental trap being turned into a catastrophe – yet over 98% of online users do not learn the basics. And this goes for companies whose IT department tries to teach something they poorly understand to their workforce.
It takes experts in social engineering scams to help get your people to stop doing the wrong things.
If you are looking for the right people, contact us, we will be happy to share who is the best in the world at social engineering countermeasures because they work with literally millions of the victims of social engineering (hint – it is the US|GCP Division of SCARS at www.USGCP.com).
But, feel free to ignore the warning. Millions of people do every day. And it is for this reason that cybercrime will grow to exceed US$6 Trillion Dollars by the end of 2021 (per McAfee).
We wish you all the best of luck!
PLEASE SHARE OUR ARTICLES WITH YOUR CONTACTS
HELP OTHERS STAY SAFE ONLINE
SCARS™ Team
A SCARS Division
Miami Florida U.S.A.
TAGS: SCARS, Important Article, Information About Scams, Anti-Scam, Socially Engineered Cybercrime, Socially Engineered Scam, Scam Alert, New Kind Of Socially Engineered Scam, Cybercrime Prevention
The Latest SCARS|RSN Posts
FIND MORE SCAM NEWS
«SCAMCRIME.COM»
CHAT WITH SCARS™
«CLICK HERE»
Why Is The Case Of Mable Dulaney So Important To Other Victims?
END
MORE INFORMATION
– – –
Tell us about your experiences with Romance Scammers in our
« Scams Discussion Forum on Facebook »
– – –
FAQ: How Do You Properly Report Scammers?
It is essential that law enforcement knows about scams & scammers, even though there is nothing (in most cases) that they can do.
Always report scams involving money lost or where you received money to:
- Local Police – ask them to take an “informational” police report – say you need it for your insurance
- U.S. State Police (if you live in the U.S.) – they will take the matter more seriously and provide you with more help than local police
- Your National Police or FBI « www.IC3.gov »
- The SCARS|CDN™ Cybercriminal Data Network – Worldwide Reporting Network « HERE » or on « www.Anyscam.com »
This helps your government understand the problem, and allows law enforcement to add scammers on watch lists worldwide.
– – –
Visit our NEW Main SCARS Facebook page for much more information about scams and online crime: « www.facebook.com/SCARS.News.And.Information »
To learn more about SCARS visit « www.AgainstScams.org »
Please be sure to report all scammers
« HERE » or on « www.Anyscam.com »
Legal Notices:
All original content is Copyright © 1991 – 2020 SCARS All Rights Reserved Worldwide & Webwide. Third-party copyrights acknowledge.
SCARS, RSN, Romance Scams Now, SCARS|WORLDWIDE, SCARS|GLOBAL, SCARS, Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams, Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams, SCARS|ANYSCAM, Project Anyscam, Anyscam, SCARS|GOFCH, GOFCH, SCARS|CHINA, SCARS|CDN, SCARS|UK, SCARS Cybercriminal Data Network, Cobalt Alert, Scam Victims Support Group, are all trademarks of Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Incorporated.
Contact the law firm for the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Incorporated by email at legal@AgainstScams.org
-/ 30 /-
What do you think about this?
Please share your thoughts in a comment below!
Article Rating
Table of Contents
- A New Kind Of Scam Is Appearing Thanks To Google Searches …
- This Is What Is Popping Up On An Unknown Number Of Websites After The Redirect (See Image)
- But Like All Such Things, It Is A Socially Well-Engineered Scam
- The Latest SCARS|RSN Posts
- Yangyang Sweet / 阳阳 Sweet – Impersonation Victim – Used By Scammers – 2025
- Elicitation – A Scammer’s Manipulation Technique – 2025
- SCARS Institute’s New Survivor Community – www.SCARScommunity.org – 2025
- WARNING: AI-Enabled Browsers Pose a Cybersecurity Risk – 2025
- New United Nations UNODC Report on Corruption and Cybercrime – 2025
- SCARS Institute – 12 Years of Service to Scam Victims/Survivors – 2025/2026
Rapid Report Scammers
In the U.S. & Canada
U.S. & Canada Suicide Lifeline 988
RATE THIS ARTICLE?
LEAVE A COMMENT?
Recent Comments
On Other Articles
- Taci Fernuik on How You Think & Talk About Your Scam Affects Your Recovery: “I have hung on to the scams for far too long. With the intervention of an all-merciful God, I have…” Nov 6, 22:13
- on Disengaging From A Fake Scam Relationship: “Taci, you may want to join our new support community at www.SCARScommunity.org” Nov 6, 03:01
- on Disengaging From A Fake Scam Relationship: “This particular article helped me discover the many things I did wrong the first time I was scammed. I should…” Nov 5, 22:49
- on About the SCARS RomanceScamsNOW.com Website – 24 Years Published: “It was unavailable for a few days, but it is available again. If he would be interested, he is welcome…” Nov 5, 00:59
- on About the SCARS RomanceScamsNOW.com Website – 24 Years Published: “My husband has been scammed and your classes have been helping him but now he can’t seem to access them.…” Oct 26, 14:57
- on Talia Shepard – Impersonation Victim – Stolen Photos – 2024: “Hi, I’m Patrick from Belgium and I found this site by chance, so I just got to know it, and…” Oct 17, 23:46
- on Talia Shepard – Impersonation Victim – Stolen Photos – 2024: “Hallo ik ben Patrick uit Belgie en het is in verband over PayPal. Ik heb het dit jaar spijtig genoeg…” Oct 17, 23:08
- on Debt Relief Scams – Catalog of Scams – 2024 UPDATED 2025: “Before you make any decision, stop, think, and ask someone you trust for advice. No matter how difficult your situation…” Oct 9, 07:06
- on Shemar Moore – Stolen Photos – Impersonation Victim – 2024: “KM, sadly, this was available 5 years ago. The is a 25 year old website. Of course, new content is…” Oct 6, 13:27
- on Shemar Moore – Stolen Photos – Impersonation Victim – 2024: “Me too, since 2020. I’ve dealt with a lot of them till now. They’ve completely manipulated me and put me…” Oct 6, 00:48
ARTICLE META
Important Information for New Scam Victims
- Please visit www.ScamVictimsSupport.org – a SCARS Website for New Scam Victims & Sextortion Victims
- Enroll in FREE SCARS Scam Survivor’s School now at www.SCARSeducation.org
- Please visit www.ScamPsychology.org – to more fully understand the psychological concepts involved in scams and scam victim recovery
If you are looking for local trauma counselors please visit counseling.AgainstScams.org or join SCARS for our counseling/therapy benefit: membership.AgainstScams.org
If you need to speak with someone now, you can dial 988 or find phone numbers for crisis hotlines all around the world here: www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
A Note About Labeling!
We often use the term ‘scam victim’ in our articles, but this is a convenience to help those searching for information in search engines like Google. It is just a convenience and has no deeper meaning. If you have come through such an experience, YOU are a Survivor! It was not your fault. You are not alone! Axios!
A Question of Trust
At the SCARS Institute, we invite you to do your own research on the topics we speak about and publish, Our team investigates the subject being discussed, especially when it comes to understanding the scam victims-survivors experience. You can do Google searches but in many cases, you will have to wade through scientific papers and studies. However, remember that biases and perspectives matter and influence the outcome. Regardless, we encourage you to explore these topics as thoroughly as you can for your own awareness.
Statement About Victim Blaming
Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.
These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.
Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org
Psychology Disclaimer:
All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only
The information provided in this article is intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.
While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.
Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.
If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.
Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here to go to our ScamsNOW.com website.
Thank you for your comment. You may receive an email to follow up. We never share your data with marketers.