‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ have been the two most anticipated films of the year. Each for its respective reasons, both films have accumulated great expectation and, especially the first, has become a mass phenomenon. All this attention received, however, can become a danger to consumers becoming the gateway to suffer a data theft.
Experts from Kaspersky, the antivirus brand, warn that attempts to steal money and data online are taking place using these films as bait. Many malicious websites are being detected in which they try to sell dolls or tickets, as well as special promotions related to the movies, which then end up being scams.
For example, in the case of Barbie, Kaspersky has detected several pages where classic Mattel dolls are ‘sold’, special or limited editions, such as that of the leading actress, Margot Robbie; for between $15 and $63. When the victim of this fraud accesses the purchase process, he is redirected to a form that, if filled out and accepted, will make him lose his money and his personal information.
In the case of Nolan’s film, ‘Oppenheimer’, several scams have also been detected, but with a different look. The fraud has consisted of offering free retransmission of the film before its premiere or even now. A very reduced fee is requested to register for the fake streaming service and, when the payment is ‘completed’, the victim ends up losing their money and data.
How to avoid fraud or online scams
When there are premieres or announcements that cause as much excitement as these two films, it is normal for cybercriminals to take advantage of the situation to create scams and frauds from which they can profit. Kaspersky’s tips to avoid falling for these cyber-deceptions are:
Be on the lookout for phishing scams, identify suspicious emails or messages, such as those offering gifts or products at very low prices. Verify the authenticity of the source before sharing any personal information or conducting online transactions. Check the security of the website when purchasing products or accessing content (that the padlock symbol appears in the URL bar). Share personal or financial data only with known contacts and on trusted and secure platforms. Always browse official or authorized websites. Avoid unofficial or suspicious sources.
Barbie: a blockbuster
The ‘Barbie’ movie is being a global event that attracts the big fans of these Mattel dolls also in Spain and those passionate about the so-called Barbie or Barbiecore aesthetic, regardless of age, gender or sex. Since the trailer was presented last year until the day of the premiere, the public has collected and acclaimed this cinematic creation with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as protagonists.
All this expectation has had various consequences. One of them has been the increase in searches for Barbie dolls on online commerce platforms. In fact, online searches for these dolls have skyrocketed to reach the dizzying figure of 6,000 per hour on the eBay platform. In fact, Barbie has been one of the most searched words on the web.
