Lady Gaga Free iPad Offer or Just the Work of Hackers?
Pop icon and international superstar Lady Gaga’s Facebook and Twitter accounts have been hacked after it was discovered that Gaga was offering to give away free iPads.
The tempting, but malevolent message told Lady Gaga's 45 million Facebook fans that her new signature iPad would be released in three days. To promote this giveaway the hackers stated, "We will be hosting a massive giveaway to all the Mother Monsters fans."
The contest rules and registration were presented as a link to a Blogspot page, according to Graham Cluley from the security firm Sophos, who discovered the scam.
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Because Lady Gaga is such a high-profile target, the presence of the questionable was taken down within an hour.
"However, that wasn't quick enough to stop some people from clicking on the link, in the mistaken belief that they might receive a free iPad from the eccentric singer," Cluley wrote in a blog post.
A picture of the scam on the internet showed that more than 4,100 people had "liked" it.
"Anyone who clicked on the link, and filled in online forms, may have unwittingly handed their personal information to scammers and potentially helped them earn revenue by completing online surveys," Cluley said.
Lady Gaga has since deleted the hacked tweets and Facebook posts. TechCrunch reported that more than 7,000 of her Twitter followers clicked the suspicious link, even resending the offer to others. The BBC reported that more than 100,000 of her Facebook friends also followed the link.
Lady Gaga was likely the victim of a phishing scam, where a hacker dupes fans or users into believing they are signing up for a legitimate website or contest.
Once the individual signs up the hackers can then gain access to their personal and financial data. That information can then be used to gain access to email addresses and banking accounts.
