Digital Event Horizon
A new scam has been discovered where scammers inject fake phone numbers into official websites by manipulating Google ads. This technique allows them to bypass traditional security checks and trick users into divulging sensitive information. Experts warn that this problem is becoming increasingly sophisticated, making it harder for users to distinguish between legitimate and malicious ads.
Scammers are injecting fake phone numbers into official websites through Google ads to bypass traditional security checks. The technique, known as "scam ad injection," has been successfully executed on various popular sites, including Microsoft and Netflix. The scammers use Google's ad platform to buy ads that appear at the top of search results, appending parameters to inject fake phone numbers into official websites. The technique can trick users into divulging sensitive information or being connected to a scammer posing as a company representative. Google allows parameters to be added to ad links that aren't visible, making it easier for scammers to exploit this loophole. Experts warn that the increasing sophistication of Google ads makes it harder for users to distinguish between legitimate and malicious ads. Users should be cautious when clicking on links from Google ads and opt for organic results instead.
In recent months, security experts have been sounding the alarm about a new and cunning tactic employed by scammers to trick users into divulging sensitive information. The technique, known as "scam ad injection," involves injecting fake phone numbers into official websites using Google ads, bypassing traditional security checks and leaving victims vulnerable to phishing attempts.
According to Dan Goodin, Senior Security Editor at Ars Technica, this ruse has been successfully executed on various popular sites, including Microsoft, Apple, HP, PayPal, Netflix, and others. The scammers use Google's ad platform to buy ads that appear at the top of search results for these sites, appending parameters to the path of the ad links to inject fake phone numbers into the official websites.
When a user clicks on one of these ads, it opens a page on the official site, but the appended parameters also inject the fake phone number into the webpage. This technique works on most browsers and against most websites, making it a formidable threat to browser security.
The scammers use this tactic to trick users into calling the injected phone numbers, which can lead to the victim divulging sensitive information or being connected to a scammer posing as a representative of the company. In some cases, the scammers may try to gain access to the target's financial account and drain it of funds.
Google requires ads to display the official domain they link to, but allows parameters to be added to the right of it that aren't visible. This allows the scammers to take advantage of this loophole and inject their fake phone numbers into the official websites.
Malwarebytes, a security firm, has been tracking this phenomenon and reports that they have seen the scammers abuse only Google ads so far. However, it's not known if ads on other sites can be abused in a similar way.
Experts warn that this problem is amplified by the efforts of big players like Google, Meta, etc., to make their ads look almost indistinguishable from actual results/posts. This has led to scammers getting an assist from these companies, making it harder for users to distinguish between legitimate and malicious ads.
While many targets will be able to recognize that the injected text is fake, the ruse may not be so obvious to people with vision impairment, cognitive decline, or who are simply tired or in a hurry. Therefore, experts emphasize the importance of being cautious when clicking on links from Google ads and instead opting for links in organic results whenever possible.
In conclusion, the scam ad injection technique is a growing threat to browser security that requires immediate attention from users and security experts alike. By understanding how this tactic works and taking preventative measures, such as avoiding clicks on suspicious ads and using comprehensive browser security products, individuals can protect themselves against this insidious form of cybercrime.
Related Information:
https://www.digitaleventhorizon.com/articles/The-Insidious-World-of-Scam-Ad-Injection-A-Growing-Threat-to-Browser-Security-deh.shtml
https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/06/tech-support-scammers-inject-malicious-phone-numbers-into-big-name-websites/
Published: Thu Jun 19 08:55:16 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
