Internet users are advised to be wary of scams exploiting Nelson Mandelas critical condition, as fake RIP pages containing malicious links are already popping up on social media sites.
There is nothing like big international news that unscrupulous scammers love more. Scammers can and will exploit such news because they know that millions globally will either be searching for or interested in certain information.
And the fragile condition of former South African President Nelson Mandela is such news that will inevitably become exploited as RIP Facebook Pages have already begun to appear, even though Mandela is reported as being alive, albeit in critical condition, at the time of writing.
Scammers can exploit such news in a number of ways. Early RIP Pages are likely to attract the attention of many social media users looking for updates on the condition of Nelson Mandela, yet such fake pages can contain links to harmful external websites that can install malware onto a victim’s computer.
Unverified rumours can be shared across sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+, shared between users who bizarrely trust posts and messages they see on social media as opposed to reputable news outlets.
And scammers can also exploit search engines by creating malicious websites that appear in search engine results for certain keywords related to Nelson Mandela’s health, meaning it is important to be careful when clicking on results when in search engines like Google.
As usual, only get your news from reputable news outlets instead of social media. Be extremely wary of RIP Pages containing external links, especially if the RIP Page is for a person who is still alive. And be aware that scammers will take advantage of news related to Nelson Mandela, so if/when he does pass away be sure to expect scammers to use this news to lure you into their online traps.