Not just Google: phishing ads also appear on Bing and DuckDuckGo

The scam

Many players use Bing or DuckDuckGo and assume fake ads are a Google problem. They aren’t. DuckDuckGo says its search ads are provided in partnership with Microsoft, the same ad network that runs Bing’s ads. A scammer who gets a fake ad approved there can reach people on both.

Crypto brands have been copied this way before. In August 2023 Malwarebytes reported an ad, shown on both Google and Bing, for a fake copy of the LooksRare NFT marketplace. The copy asked visitors to connect their wallet, and one victim reportedly lost about $300,000 in NFTs. The fake domain had been registered only recently, and Malwarebytes noted that automated security checks would find nothing wrong with it.

How to protect yourself

1. Treat the top ad with the same care on every search engine. Look for the “Ad” or “Sponsored” label.
2. Use a bookmark for every casino, exchange and wallet you use.
3. Check the address bar after the page loads, letter by letter, before you log in, deposit or connect a wallet.
4. An ad blocker hides most search ads. The FBI suggests one as a defence against this kind of scam.
5. Report the ad from its menu, and tell the real brand so it can get the ad taken down.