INDIANA — A scam is gaining steam on social media, catching users unaware, and could potentially install computer viruses on your computer.
The latest “clickbait” scam posts a vague heading such as “I can’t believe he’s gone” or “She was so young,” and seems to have been shared by someone on your contact list. However, when you click on the link, a new window opens up and the user is instructed to click a link to update software so a video can be viewed. However, the site actually attempts to download a virus to your computer.
Because the link is from a trusted source, many people are tempted to click on it. However, the person it is allegedly from likely has a compromised account, and they may not even know it is being posted in everyone’s social media feed.
Cyber security experts encourage everyone who uses social media to make sure that their anti-virus software is up to date. They also encourage people to ignore the posts, or report them directly to the “sender” in a private message so they can change their account passwords.