Facebook Messages Claiming Will Smith Dead Install Malicious Software

Scam e-mails doing the rounds on Facebook assert that Will Smith the celebrated film star is no more following an operation he recently underwent. Indeed, the posts have been created for deceiving visitors into installing software onto their computers that's actually malware-laden, published softpedia.com dated October 22, 2013.

Referring to Will Smith's death, the fake online posts seem to be news from Hollywood Press telling that it has just now gotten declared that Will Smith is dead following one urgent operation on his spine because of an accident he suffered during the filming of Hancock 2 (2014). As there was carelessness on the doctor's part whereby an overdose of medication was given to the patient, death had occurred. Included is the complete movie from the CCTV fitted inside the operation theatre for recipients to watch, the message concludes.

But anyone following the web-link is taken onto one site where he's directed for planting fake Facebook software.

If this software gets planted, the victimized visitor will be directed for taking down certain "Facebook media plug-in" so he may watch the movie showing Will Smith's operation. However, the second program actually loads malware onto the end-user's system.

And certainly, irrespective of the number of plug-ins the victim installs, he won't ever get to view what is promised for neither the operation nor the footage ever-existed.

Meanwhile, the fake software actively distributes the bogus message about Will Smith's demise to all the original recipients' contacts whilst this also causes the malware to spread.

Phony messages about celebrity deaths have been observed as getting increasingly frequent on social-networking websites because during September-end 2013, Jackie Chan another superstar from Hollywood became a similar victim of spam relating to fake death news.

Incase celebrities of high-profile nature like Jackie Chan or Will Smith pass away, the news are sure to be covered in mainstream media. Besides, accessing reputable news-sites will fast disclose whether such death news are/aren't true.

Therefore, whenever anyone gets an e-mail or message on social-media asserting a celebrity is no more, it's best to authenticate it through any well-known news site prior to passing it to friends, specialists suggest.

» SPAMfighter News - 10/26/2013