05 Sep 2025 Search

Previously: Links for 4 Jan 2025: news from the low-trust society

UK households warned over ‘closing down sale’ scam sweeping social media (It’s not just sweeping social media and it’s not just the result of understaffing at the ad review department. Meta’s ad system is optimized for deceptive advertising and working as designed.)

Affiliates Flock to ‘Soulless’ Scam Gambling Machine The scam begins with deceptive ads posted on social media that claim the wagering sites are working in partnership with popular athletes or social media personalities. (Another key design choice for Meta ads. Notice how they can recognize the faces of normal people in photos, but somehow miss out on celebrity photos in scam ads? All part of how their system works.)

This Android Malware Is Spreading Through Facebook Ads According to researchers at Bitdefender, cybercriminals are running ads that promise free access to TradingView Premium, a market tracking and investment app, for Android mobile users. Clicking on the fraudulent ads, which use TradingView’s branding and, in some cases, images of Labubus, leads to users downloading and installing malware on their devices. (A direct consequence of how Meta’s Ad Library is designed to conceal trademark infringement.)

How college towns are grappling with a new gambling boom by Sophie Atkinson. As the fascination with online gambling and sports betting continues to increase, with the market exploding, some areas are starting to introduce greater restrictions to protect younger people….The regulatory board has brought in the new rules, with gambling-related advertisements now not able to be placed in locations where they are likely to be seen by underage or vulnerable people. (I’m sure the dedicated compliance team at Meta will get right on that…)

From Libraries to Schools: Why Organizations Should Install Privacy Badger Targeted ads aren’t just a privacy nightmare. They can also be a vehicle for malware and phishing attacks. Cybercriminals have tricked legitimate ad networks into distributing malware, a tactic known as malvertising. (Unfortunately your biggest risk is the Google search ads, which Privacy Badger doesn’t affect: fix Google Search)

Yes, there is a 9-1-1 for scam victims. Get to know the guardian angels of the Internet — AARP’s Fraud Watch Network by Bob Sullivan. It’s staffed Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., mainly by trained volunteers. They reach out to every caller within 24 hours or so. It’s staffed mainly by volunteers who are ready to help victims within a day or so, and offer both empathetic listening and practical advice. They’ve stopped millions of dollars in criminal transactions by giving people a place to turn when they’re in crisis.

LegalPwn: Tricking LLMs by burying badness in lawyerly fine print Adversarial instructions are hidden inside legal documents, carefully phrased to blend in with the legalese around them so as not to stand out should a human reader give it a skim. When given a prompt that requires ingestion of these legal documents, the hidden instructions come along for the ride…

US (finally) issues warning about crypto ATMs by Bob Sullivan. When a criminal has a victim confused and manipulated, the fastest way to steal their money is to persuade them to drive to the nearest crypto ATM and feed the machines with $100 bills. I’ve talked to countless victims who’ve told me harrowing, tragic tales of crouching in the dark corner of a gas station, shoving money into one of these machines, terrified they are being watched. In fact, they aren’t. Employees are told not to get involved. So victims drive away, their money stolen in the fastest way possible.

Maybe we’re getting to the end of this nonsense? I still think the right state privacy laws—set up to work in a cooperative way with journalists, researchers, and attorneys in private practice—could make a difference. More: inquiring minds (have a right to) know