Why You Shouldn't Click on Those Leaked Celebrity Nudes

The Better Business Bureau warns that scammers may take advantage of the recent leak of nude celebrity photos to trick consumers into clicking on links to fraudulent websites.

Scammers take advantage of sensational news and public curiosity to spread malware that can allow them to steal identities. In the past, they’ve used emails and social media messages claiming to show photos of the death of Osama bin Laden, newborn Prince George of Britain and, most recently, Robin Williams’ last words.

The celebrity photo leak, which occurred on Sunday, claimed to offer hundreds of nude photos of popular female celebrities, including actress Jennifer Lawrence, model Kate Upton, reality-show star Kim Kardashian, pop singer Rihanna, and others. Preliminary news reports say the leak may have been the result of hacking into Apple iCloud or other “cloud” photo storage, but Apple claims that neither they nor their products caused the leak.

The FBI is still investigating.

Here’s what the BBB suggests to protect yourself from click bait scams:

• Don’t take the bait. Stay away from promotions of “exclusive,” “shocking” or “sensational” video or photos.
• When in doubt, throw it out. Delete unsolicited emails or social media messages that raise red flags.
• Hover over a link to see its true destination. Before you click, hold your mouse over the link to see where it will take you. Don’t click on links leading to unfamiliar websites.
• Don’t trust your “friends” online. It might not actually be your friends who are “liking” or sharing scam links to photos. Their account may have been hacked and scammers could be using another tactic called “clickjacking.” This technique is one scammers use to trick you into clicking on social media links that you’d usually ignore.
• Report scam posts on Facebook by following these instructions.
• Report malware or spam on Twitter by following these instructions.