Phishers and scammers using PS5 launch to target users: Kaspersky

Cyber criminals are increasingly leveraging the launch of Sony’s latest gaming console, the PlayStation 5, to target users across the world in scams, according to cyber security firm Kaspersky.

“Phishers and scammers are becoming increasingly interested in using the launch of the new PlayStation to their advantage,” warned Kaspersky.

The cyber security firm has discovered nearly 130 suspicious resources mentioning ‘PlayStation’ in the name in October alone.

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Sales bait

“These sites mainly offer visitors the chance to pre-order the PlayStation 5 by making a prepayment or by leaving personal information. Some web pages even offered purchasing the console at a lower price than the official retail cost,” Kaspersky said.

Some resources also claimed to have a “special sale price” available for PlayStation 4 attributing the discount to the release of the new PS5 as part of the scam.

“We would like to remind users that if something on the internet looks too good to be true, then it is probably a scam,” said Kaspersky’s security expert, Tatyana Sidorina.

“Messages about sales and pre-orders should be checked on reliable sources and we advise against clicking on links from suspicious emails or messages on messengers and social networks. It is also recommended to install a security solution with up-to-date databases of phishing and spam resources,” Sidorina added.