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This new ChatGPT scam tricks you into installing malware
ZDNET • • technology
Key Points:
- A new scam involving ChatGPT has emerged, starting with a sponsored Google ad that directs users to a fake custom GPT on the actual ChatGPT domain, which delivers a misleading "Service Availability Notice."
- The scam prompts users to click a link leading to a fake Cloudflare verification and instructs them to run a command in Windows/PowerShell, which installs malware on their computers.
- The scam is convincing because the fake GPT appears on the real ChatGPT domain with the user's account logged in, and the only subtle giveaway is an unfamiliar model name like "Plus 5.6."
- To avoid this scam, users are advised to type chatgpt.com directly into their browser, avoid clicking on sponsored Google ads, and never run unknown commands on their computers.
- Google has deactivated several advertiser accounts linked to this scam campaign and stated it continuously updates defenses to block malvertising, while security experts emphasize skepticism toward unsolicited links and commands.
