'Watch The Odyssey for free online': scam targets film fans with fake streaming sites
Scammers are exploiting the release of 'The Odyssey' by creating fake streaming sites that harvest bank details and infect computers with malware. Kaspersky and BeStreamWise are warning consumers.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
Cybercriminals are setting up fraudulent websites that promise free streams of the blockbuster film 'The Odyssey' to steal bank details and personal information from eager film fans. The scam uses fake reviews and pop-up ads to lure victims.
Some bad people are making fake websites that say you can watch a new movie called The Odyssey for free, but really they want to steal your bank details. It's like a stranger offering free candy that is actually a trick to get into your house. Always use real movie services, not random ones you find online.
Analysis
BeStreamWise
The UK campaign body BeStreamWise, set up to alert the public to the dangers of illegal streaming, has issued a warning about fraudsters piggybacking on the release of "The Odyssey." The organisation notes that people who submit their personal details to fake sites risk being targeted by fraudsters again, as well as having money taken from their accounts. The warning underscores how the streaming economy's dark side increasingly intersects with consumer finance, as criminals exploit blockbuster releases to harvest sensitive banking information. BeStreamWise's alert fits into a broader pattern of fraud campaigns timed to cultural events, where public excitement lowers digital guard rails and pushes consumers toward illegitimate channels.
Kaspersky
Cybersecurity company Kaspersky has identified specific tactics used by the scammers, including offering dubbed versions of "The Odyssey" in the victim's native language based on their geolocation. This localization technique makes the fraudulent sites appear more legitimate, increasing the likelihood that consumers will input their personal information. According to Kaspersky, victims are typically asked to register with their email address and full name, and later prompted to input bank details under the guise of activating a "free trial." The case illustrates how cybercriminals adapt to global markets, scaling their operations across language barriers to maximise reach and revenue while tailoring their pitches to each regional audience.
Olga Altukhova
Kaspersky analyst Olga Altukhova has urged consumers to be particularly wary of unfamiliar platforms offering films that are still in cinemas. Her advice, to access content only through official services, reflects a growing tension in the digital economy between consumer demand for convenient access and the security risks of unregulated platforms. Altukhova also advises checking URLs carefully to ensure legitimacy, a basic but often overlooked safeguard. For victims, the article recommends immediate action: informing banks, changing passwords on financial accounts, and enabling multi-factor authentication. In the UK, Action Fraud serves as the national reporting centre for these crimes, but the scale of such operations suggests many cases likely go unreported.
Key points
- Scammers are creating fake streaming sites to harvest bank details from people wanting to watch 'The Odyssey' for free
- UK campaign body BeStreamWise has issued warnings about the financial and malware risks
- Kaspersky notes the scams use geolocation-based language targeting and fabricated reviews to appear legitimate
- Victims risk malware infections, phishing follow-ups, and unauthorised withdrawals from their accounts
- Kaspersky analyst Olga Altukhova advises using only official streaming services and verifying URLs
Increased public awareness from campaigns like BeStreamWise and guidance from cybersecurity firms could help consumers recognise and avoid these scams, reducing the success rate of such fraud operations. As more people learn to verify URLs and stick to official streaming services, the economic incentive for scammers may diminish over time.
These scams are likely to proliferate as long as blockbuster releases generate public excitement, and the localised, multi-language approach makes them harder to detect and prosecute. Continued reliance on digital platforms for entertainment, combined with increasingly sophisticated phishing techniques, could lead to significant financial losses for consumers and erode trust in legitimate streaming services.
