Are you seeing this Mr Beast scam on YouTube?
A popular type of YouTube scam uses multiple layers of Phishing techniques to catch out its victims. Currently, there is one involving the popular YouTuber Mr. Beast, who is known for giving away vast sums of money. Those that don't know him would probably think this was obviously a scam, but giving away $1000 dollars would not be unexpected from his over 100 million subscribers! As such, this scammer is posing as a legitimate entity.
Once attracted to the sponsored Ad under 'Beast Promotions', the user is led to a web page, also illustrated in the comments of the video. The user is offered the chance to 'Claim $1000'. through a redirected page that offers them software to download. The user then downloads the software and is asked to enter their PayPal registered email address - with the expectation they will receive the cash in their PayPal account. It's only lured you into revealing your email address - so far, so harmless?
How do they benefit from this type of scam? Here are five reasons you don't want to give away your legitimate PayPal-registered email address to anyone you don't trust to keep your personal data secure...
Email Spoofing - scammers may send you unsolicited emails that appear to be from someone you know but are actually from a different (usually malicious source). This can be used to press you for further personal information. These emails can be incredibly credible and even the most astute phishing spotter can get caught out!
The download can infect your computer with malware, malicious software that is designed to harm or exploit a computer system. Stealing personal information such as login credentials, financial information, and other personal data is often the target of malware.
Spam Emails - you could get further emails that try to sell you something or encourage you to visit a malicious website.
If you were to download the malware onto your computer, some malware is designed to perform tasks such as sending spam emails or participating in a denial-of-service attack. If your computer is a work computer, this could be really serious for your client base and in breach of your 'secure data' policy.
We always want to maintain good practices, the list of nefarious activities by scammers is endless. This Mr. Beast scam serves as a reminder to be careful not to add any information about your PayPal account, including your email address. Close the giveaway page immediately and leave the website where the pop-up appears.