A SlowMist investigation has exposed the manipulation of Google search results by phishing ads associated with Friend.tech, the decentralized social media platform.
This has prompted increasing scrutiny of Google’s response to review inquiries as concerns about deceptive ads continue to mount.
Raising concerns
In the Oct. 13 post, SlowMist shares word of caution to users when engaging with sponsored ads on Google, stating that these paid promotions are regrettably exploited by scammers as a means to deceive and exploit unsuspecting users.
Please exercise caution when interacting with sponsored ads on Google.
It’s an unfortunate reality that scammers frequently use these paid promotions as a way to deceive and target unsuspecting users. pic.twitter.com/eXZkOEXY1Y
— SlowMist (@SlowMist_Team) October 13, 2023
In a follow up post from MistTrack, a crypto tracking and compliance platform built by SlowMist, it was reported that the pilfered funds were routed and then transferred to a suspected scam account.
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Notably, the address appears to have accumulated more than 670 ETH, likely sourced from victims of various scams.
An ongoing target
This is not the first time Friend.tech has been under attack. 3 days earlier, the platform introduced a 2FA feature to combat the increasing threat of SIM-swap attacks on its users, a type of attack that has been deemed an ongoing problem facing the industry.
The update effectively enabled users to enhance their account security by setting up a 2FA password in the event of mobile carrier or email provider compromise, as stated in an Oct. 9th post by the app’s development team.
Read more: Hackers target Friend.tech users with cunning verification scam