Scammers want to profit from the death of the Pope: details of the scheme.

Internet scammers are using the death of Pope Francis to steal data and deceive people. Check Point discovered fake news and AI-generated content about the late Pope. Scammers were creating social media posts that urged users to click on links. One of the links led to a fake Google page offering fake gift cards, and scammers attempted to fraudulently demand money or confidential information. Another post on TikTok claimed that the news about the Pope's death was a hoax. Cybercriminals are trying to lure users who open links out of curiosity and emotional responses. Recently, during major events, cybercriminals have been committing more and more fraud. Researchers have called this phenomenon 'cyber threat opportunism'. Such attacks have spread particularly actively during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Such campaigns often arise around major events when hackers ignite interest and emotional reactions, trying to lure unsuspecting users to fraudulent sites. Cybercriminals thrive on chaos and curiosity. Whenever a major event occurs in the news, we see a sharp rise in fraud aimed at exploiting public interest. - Rafa Lopez, security engineer at Check Point.

Scammers are using the death of Pope Francis to deceive people and steal their data. They create fake news and AI-generated content related to the late Pope. Scammers circulate social media posts that make users click on links. It turns out that one of the links leads to a fake Google page where people are lured into a fake advertisement for gift cards. Another post claims that the news of the Pope's death was fabricated to increase user engagement online. Some posts contain AI-generated images of the Pope.

These scammers exploit global events to capture people's attention and lure them to fraudulent sites. They rely on chaos and curiosity, directing their attacks at unsuspecting users. This phenomenon, known as 'cyber threat opportunism', has become particularly popular during the Covid-19 pandemic. During this period, many malicious programs and phishing messages related to the pandemic were discovered, aimed at stealing personal data from users, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88. Besides bilateral pneumonia, he suffered four respiratory crises. He was discharged from the hospital on March 23. The funeral of Pope Francis will take place on April 26 in the Vatican, and many foreign delegations are expected to attend.