Crazy Popularity of The Last of Us Fuels Illegal Scams

Following the premiere of HBO’s critically acclaimed series, The Last of Us, cybercriminals are leveraging the surge in interest in the game to their advantage. One of the most well-known brands right now is Naughty Dog’s survival horror, and it’s proving to be a good place for criminals to steal personal information from unwary fans.

Two scams have been brought to light by the cyber security firm Kaspersky, one of which involves a fake website purporting to offer The Last of Us: Part II for download. The “game,” which has only been officially released on the PS4 so far, acts as a waypoint for malware to infect unaware gamers’ devices. According to the organization, “Users will not know that something is wrong because it may not cause any visible harm while silently doing its job.”

Another website asks visitors to enter their credit card information to pay a “commission fee” in exchange for the chance to win a PS5 and a copy of The Last of Us: Part I to play on it. Of course, there is no such console, and the page is only being run by phishers to trick unaware fans into disclosing sensitive information.

The aforementioned information should serve as a reminder to be cautious online. Cybercriminals lure unsuspecting people into installing malicious software or disclosing sensitive information by using well-known products, properties, and brands. Keep in mind that anything that seems too good to be true probably is; never divulge personal information online.