Twilight fans targeted in scam

Cybercriminals are exploiting interest in the Twilight: New Moon film, which is released on Friday, to spread malware.

A website supposedly offering an interview with the author of the Twilight series of books, Stephanie Meyer, has been spotted in search results by security firm PC Tools.

Using a technique known as SEO poisoning, the criminals have managed to get the infected page into Google's search index in order to trap unsuspecting fans.

When they visit the page, a fake anti-virus program launches, telling the visitor that their PC is infected and demands payment to disinfect the computer of the 'malware'.

Credit card information is then taken, but you will never find the supposed interview with Meyer.

This is not the first scam relating to Twilight: New Moon. One of the female stars, Ashley Greene, was also used as bait in a fake naked video scam back in August.

"It's no surprise that numerous fans will be searching the web for clips of the film and interviews with the cast," said PC Tools' Michael Greene.

"Cybercriminals will use any opportunity to take advantage of the public's enthusiasm for a major event, so it's essential that fans know how best to keep their computers and online identity safe," he continued.


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