Don’t fall for these fake, malware-producing ChatGPT sites and apps

Everybody is talking about this biggest breakthrough in technology since the Internet.  ChatGPT has become one of the fastest-growing AI-powered chatbots since its release in November 2022.

This new tech known as ChatGPT is designed to simulate human-like conversation and do the work as good if not better than humans in a variety of contexts. such as customer service, education, and entertainment.

It can understand and respond to a wide range of conversational topics and can be integrated into a variety of applications and platforms.

Here come the imposters

Since it has become so popular, however, hackers are taking full advantage and rapidly creating more and more scams to try to trick you into giving them access to your personal and private information.

How are hackers taking advantage of ChatGPT?

Cybersecurity experts have been closely monitoring these hackers and have found that hundreds of domains on the internet are already using the term ‘ChatGPT’ to fool people.

One researcher, Dominic Alvieri shared some of his findings on his Twitter page.  One thing he found was a website called “chat-gpt-pc.online”, which is a site that tries to convince you to download ChatGPT from the site to use as a local application on their Windows computers.

These fake ChatGPT apps are out to steal

Once downloaded, however, it would put RedLine information-stealing malware on your devices. This type of malware steals stored information in your applications.  So if you are someone who has Google Chrome store your passwords or credit card information, this malware can pull the data and send it to the hacker.

 

Credit: @AlvieriD

Tons of fake ChatGPT apps that use similar phishing scams have also been found in the Google Play Store.

The cybersecurity firm Cyble has just reported that they found more than 50 fake ChatGPT apps and that there is a download going around called “ChatGPT1” which uses SMS billing fraud to secretly subscribe its target to numerous paid services.

How can I prevent these scams from reaching me?

  • It’s important to be cautious when interacting with unfamiliar profiles or chatbots, especially if they ask for personal information or seem too good to be true.
  • Be sure to question and verify the authenticity of any messages or links before clicking on them.
  • Avoid downloading files from unknown websites, and refrain from opening untrusted links and email attachments.
  • Be sure to keep your devices, operating systems, and applications updated to ensure you have the latest security patches.
  • If you are interested in using ChatGPT, make sure you go directly to the OpenAI website and use it from there.
  • Install Antivirus protection – You should absolutely install trusted antivirus software on your device to make sure you have that extra layer of protection so that if you do click a link, you are protected from having malware installed on your device. I’ve broken down the top antivirus protection for Mac, PC, iOS and Android devices. Our #1 pick is TotalAV, which can protect you from phishing scams, ransomware, and many other malicious activities.

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Have you seen these fake ChatGPT scams? We want to hear your story.

 

 

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19 comments

Rich Katanich May 8, 2023 - 1:59 pm
What about these emails that you don’t ask for, have cryptic addresses and when you go to unsubscribe the link is not active and has never been active. Mostly weird insurance company’s that you can tell it’s a scam Very annoying and I have trepidation about even opening them. If you don’t open the just keep sending. They will not go away. I want to grab ahold of them and squeeze at the thorax!!
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