Sponsored Search Scams: Now Scammers Are Buying Ads to Trap Us.
Sponsored search scams are the latest reason I am really annoyed and upset about what is happening online. Right now, I want to shout this warning to the world. For now, I will blog about it.
Scammers are getting better and better at making the fake look real. We are already reaching a point where many of us cannot tell the difference just by looking. Now scammers are investing even more time and money in their scams—including buying sponsored ads to help trap potential victims.
Yes, they are paying for the privilege of scamming us.
The FTC recently warned consumers about bill-payment impersonators using sponsored search results. Someone may receive a suspicious email or text and do exactly what we have always told them to do: don’t click the link. Instead, they open a search engine and search for the company themselves.
That is supposed to be the safe thing to do.
But a paid result could lead them to a third-party payment site that looks like the company’s official payment channel. They could pay unexpected fees, be enrolled in a subscription they did not knowingly choose, or provide financial information to a business they never intended to use.
So now even this familiar advice is no longer enough:
“Don’t click the link. Search for the company yourself.”
We apparently have to add more instructions to the instructions.
I Have Watched Scam Advertisements Become More Convincing
This is not the first time I have seen scammers use advertisements and familiar company names to attract victims.
I previously made a video warning people about a fake Bed Bath & Beyond website. It used a company name people recognized and offered products at ridiculously low prices.
I also warned people about a $47.98 mobility-scooter advertisement that appeared across social media. The kind of scooter shown in the advertisement can cost thousands of dollars. The price alone should raise questions, but the advertisement was especially upsetting because of the people it could attract.
Someone who is elderly, disabled, or struggling financially might desperately need that scooter. They may want to believe they have finally found one they can afford.
Scammers understand that.
They understand our needs, our hopes, our habits, and the names of the companies we already trust. They use it all against us.
I saw the same pattern with the viral Yeti cooler scam, which used the Sam’s Club name to make a fake giveaway seem trustworthy.
I had already noticed fake videos, websites, and company advertisements on Facebook and other social-media platforms. Now scammy advertisements are appearing in paid results on Google Search, Bing, and potentially anywhere else that sells prominent search placement.
They are following us from social media into the very places we were taught to use for safety.
Sponsored Search Scams Can Make a Fake Website Look Real
Most of us have been taught not to trust links in unexpected emails or text messages. If you need to contact your bank or pay a utility bill, search for the company yourself.
That advice made sense.
But what happens when the scammer is waiting for you in the search results?
The FTC has also warned that outright scammers use paid search results to impersonate companies and government services
They may use misleading descriptions, trusted names, official-looking websites, or telephone numbers that appear to belong to a legitimate organization.
A sponsored placement may give a fake or misleading website a false sense of legitimacy. People may assume that if an advertisement appears prominently in a major search engine, someone must have checked it first.
Unfortunately, we cannot afford to make that assumption.
A safer approach is to use the company’s official app, a bookmark you previously verified, or a web address printed on a trusted bill or statement.
The FTC also recommends scrolling past paid advertisements, typing a known company address directly into your browser, or using the website or telephone number printed on your bill.
If you do use a search engine, carefully examine the web address before entering your username, password, account number, or payment information.
If you encounter a suspicious advertisement, impersonator, or dishonest payment site, you can report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
But that brings me to another part of this that upsets me.
More Businesses Are Pushing Us Online
In my experience, more companies are pushing customers toward handling their business online.
Customers may have limited options to pay by mail or speak with a real person. Some companies even charge an additional fee for making a payment by phone.
This upsets me to no end.
People are being pushed online to take care of important responsibilities, but the online world is becoming increasingly difficult to trust. We are told to be careful, inspect every link, verify every website, question every advertisement, and somehow recognize increasingly convincing scams.
How much responsibility can we continue placing on the person who is just trying to pay a bill?
I Especially Worry About Older Internet Users
I worry about everyone, but I especially worry about my elderly friends who are just beginning to use the internet.
Some are only now comfortable enough online to handle their basic responsibilities. They may know how to open a browser, search for a company, sign into an account, and make a payment.
They have learned just enough to do what businesses now expect them to do.
Then the rules change.
We told them not to click links in suspicious messages. We told them to search for the company themselves.
Now those results that used to lead to a trusted source now may lead you to an advertisement purchased by a dishonest business or impersonator.
How is anyone supposed to know?
And if I am being completely honest, this is not only about people who are new to technology. I consider myself a tech-savvy senior, and I know that I am also at risk.
It is easy to become distracted because you are in a hurry. This distraction can confuse you this confusion will make you believe that you have reached the correct website.
Knowledge may reduce the risk, but it doesn’t make any of us untouchable.
What Comes Next?
That is the question I keep asking myself.
What else? What is next?
Scammers are becoming more convincing. Artificial intelligence is making it harder to distinguish real images, videos, voices, and messages from fake ones. Familiar companies are being impersonated. Sponsored advertisements can lead people to websites they never intended to visit.
Sometimes it almost makes me want to turn off my Wi-Fi and get rid of the internet altogether.
Of course, that is not a realistic answer for most of us. The internet is too woven into our everyday lives. We use it to communicate, manage our money, make appointments, access important accounts, and take care of our families.
But I am tired of feeling like nothing we do is enough.
I am annoyed, upset and worry that it will never end.
I wish I could stop these advertisements before anyone sees them, expose every fake website, and make every deceptive post disappear. But I know that is far beyond anything one person can do.What I do have is my ability to share what I see and speak out about it.
And I will continue doing that for as long as I am physically and mentally able.
If one warning helps one person stop before entering payment information into the wrong website, then speaking out still matters.