Billions of Google users warned over bank-raiding attack as criminals look to exploit King’s Coronation

CYBER criminals are trying to exploit excitement around the King’s Coronation, experts have warned.

Royalist Brits should be vigilant when it comes to buying memorabilia online as a number of fake websites posing as official Royal outlets have emerged.

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Those celebrating King’s Coronation on May 6th might be interested in purchasing items such as coins, souvenirs, to remember the occasion.

But scammers are looking to take advantage of the event by tricking people into unknowingly interacting with fake websites, experts at cybersecurity company Kaspersky revealed.

Kaspersky’s investigation found that these sites are designed only to harvest personal information and steal money.

This includes any card data, addresses, usernames, and other personal information that can be used or sold on to cybercriminals on the dark web.

“As the King’s Coronation approaches, we have found clear evidence that scammers are ramping up their efforts to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime celebration to deceive people and make a quick profit,” said David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky.

“Any information – personal and financial – that is shared with fake or unsecured sites could be harvested and used by criminals to steal money from bank accounts, and potentially even sold on through the dark web where it can be used by other criminals.”

Royal supporters have been advised to that a “few extra minutes” when shopping online to ensure the website is legitimate to avoid losing hard-earned cash.

To avoid falling victim to fake Coronation website scams, Kaspersky recommends:

• If it doesn’t look right, it’s almost certainly wrong: Where possible, shop with reputable brands such as WHSmith or official merchandise sites such as the RoyalMint.
• Mistakes are the biggest giveaway: Always check fonts, grammar, and spelling because basic mistakes are often the clearest sign of a scam.
• Beware the R0ya1 treatment: Even if a site LOOKS legitimate, it might not be. Scammers impersonate logos or use lookalike letters/numbers in URL’s to trick people. Look out, for example, for 1’s of L’s, or 0’s instead of O’s.
• Never click a hyperlink!: If you are sent an email with a link to an Official RoyalShop take a moment and don’t click it. Copy and paste the link into a web browser – this will help you identify if it is real or fake.
• Phone a friend: Don’t be afraid to ask for a second opinion. Often, another set of eyes can help spot a fake.

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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk