The Wolf of Scam Street meets Space Pioneer, but don’t buy the hype

Alexandru_BD

Scams exploiting celebrity identities and reputable brands remain highly effective, particularly those leveraging influential names like Elon Musk and Leonardo DiCaprio. Recently, Bitdefender’s researchers Viorel Zăvoiu & Alina Bîzgă uncovered multiple email fraud schemes attempting to exploit these high-profile figures.

Initially emerging via SMS, a notable scam known as the “Energy Saver” has evolved into email-based campaigns. Scammers falsely claim Elon Musk and Leonardo DiCaprio have partnered to promote a revolutionary product promising significant reduction in electricity bills. Manipulated images and fabricated quotes - such as Musk purportedly urging recipients to "not pay your electric bill until you read this"- lend a deceptive air of legitimacy. These messages often originate from misleading domains like @energy-saverXXX.net, coaxing victims into clicking embedded links that ultimately request sensitive personal or financial information.

These fraudsters also leverage SpaceX and Tesla branding to orchestrate fake stock giveaway campaigns. One widespread email falsely announces that recipients have been randomly chosen to receive $1.5 million worth of SpaceX stock or over 20,000 Tesla shares. Authentic corporate giveaways of such scale would never randomly target individuals without public announcements. The scammers add further confusion by instructing victims to verify their details, including name, address, occupation, and mobile number, even suggesting they contact an alleged Attorney General via email - a practice entirely inconsistent with legitimate business procedures.

Bitdefender emphasizes caution: legitimate businesses do not distribute massive stock windfalls through unsolicited communications, nor do genuine philanthropic efforts solicit personal information via email. Always verify suspicious communications directly through official channels before sharing any personal details.

And remember, if you ever have doubts about the legitimacy of a message, just ask Scamio.