Cyber security website Malwarebytes has discovered that a duplicate scam site has been impersonating as the original in an attempt to dupe potential customers out of subscription fees. The false site, owned by a group known as the “Tech Kangaroos,” has been operating by luring in buyers looking for the original Malwarebytes, taking the fees associated with the assumed services from the website, then doing absolutely nothing and offering no refund. Tech Kangaroos had stolen the template from the Malwarebytes site, which allowed the group to set up a website that was nearly identical to the original. A senior security researcher at Malwarebytes claims to have found the impersonating site by simply browsing through a search engine as a typical customer would.
Similar duplicate sites have targeted other companies in the cyber world, such as Symantec/Norton, Kaspersky and ESET. A spokesperson from Symantec/Norton stated, “These types of scams are a significant problem, as the individuals behind them need little more than a website and phone number to pull them off, tricking consumers into giving away banking information, passwords or even money. Unfortunately, like most established, consumer-facing companies, we see these kinds of organizations try to profit off our name by impersonating our brand.” Malwarebytes believes to have traced the impersonators back to New Delhi and a man named Moksh Popli. Popli’s only comment thus far has been that Malwarebytes is “dishonest.”