Scammers Using Robin Williams' Death To Dupe People On Social Media

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The death of Robin Williams stunned a lot of people.

And now, there's a warning about some scammers trying to take advantage of the situation.

Williams was loved by millions, and when word of his death spread, people immediately began posting messages on Facebook and Twitter.

But beware of some of the messages you may see on social media.

The Better Business Bureau now warns that some of those posts are not what they appear to be.

"Social media posts are being provided linking to video claiming its unreleased police footage from the time of his death or information where you can see his last words before he died," said Caitlin Driscoll with the BBB.

They call it "click jacking," because if you click on the links, it takes you to somewhere you don't expect.

"If you do click, it will either likely lead you to a video player - where it asks you to download the latest version in order to view the information - you're really just downloading a virus," said Driscoll. "Or it may take you to a survey that you have to complete."

"By doing that - they'll have your information that they can sell to companies for solicitations and you'll just end up being put on a number of different spam lists," Driscoll added.

You May Also Be Interested In These Latest News Stories

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.