She is one of the UK’s most popular singers, having scored massive number-one hits with singles like ‘Easy on Me’ and ‘Someone Like You’.
But Adele can now add a more dubious accolade to her collection as she is listed as the most dangerous celebrity to look up online.
According to cybersecurity firm McAfee, searching for Adele’s name brings up more links to malware and scams than any other artist.
However, it isn’t just Adele that you need to be careful while Googling.
Experts warn that looking up Gordon Ramsay, David Attenborough, or Taylor Swift could also land you in hot water.
Be careful when searching for these ten celebrities as cybersecurity firm McAfee reveals that their names are frequently attached to scams and malware
Cybersecurity experts warn that the names of the biggest celebrities are being used to lure consumers into exposing their personal details online.
Searching for some celebrities will frequently link to sites which trick you into giving away your information or downloading malware.
Researchers examined how many risky links were returned on a search for some of the biggest stars to create a ‘risk score’ for each.
Following the popularity of her residencies in Vegas and Munich, Adele has become the most popular name used to mislead fans.
McAfee’s researchers warn that hackers have created fraudulent content and websites related to the star which offer ticket deals that are too good to be true.
Vonny Gamot, McAfee’s head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, says: ‘It’s easy for individuals to fall into the trap of clicking on malicious links, misled by clickbait content, such as free tickets or free downloads, especially if a celebrity’s likeness is used.’
But it isn’t just performers who are being used to cover up for scams as Gordon Ramsay and David Attenborough were revealed to be the second and third riskiest searches.
Adele was the most dangerous celebrity to search for as experts revealed that looking up the singer revealed more risky links than any other celeb
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has become the second riskiest star to search for as scammers use his recognisable name to lure consumers into giving away their information
Taylor Swift, whose wildly popular Era’s Tour has made her fans a likely target for ticket scams, came in fourth closely followed by Jeremy Clarkson in fifth.
While this mix of very different celebs might be unusual, cybercriminals aim to take advantage of celebrities who are highly trusted by the British public.
This explains why David Attenborough, Martin Lewis, and Alison Hammond can be just as risky to search for as super-stars like Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa.
However, falling for one of these scams can lead to more than just missing out on concert tickets.
Following a link to a fraudulent website, consumers may be asked to enter their payment information to purchase tickets or to download software to access the site.
This allows a hacker to install malware onto their victim’s computer and harvest their personal details for profit.
McAfee says that 40 per cent of people who fell for a scam ended up paying over £1,000 ($1,310) while a further six per cent lost £5,000 to £15,000 ($6,500-$1,970).
To make matters worse, experts warn that AI is now driving a surge in deepfake-powered celebrity scams.
Ms Gamot says: ‘Imagine a world where your favourite celebrity stars in an advert they’ve never filmed, or a politician delivers a speech they’ve never given.
‘That’s the reality we’re living in.’
Scammers are creating deepfaked images and videos of celebrities, making fraudulent sites even harder to detect and empowering criminals to spread false information, deliver malware, endorse counterfeit products, and scam people out of their money or personal information.
The popularity of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour made her fans likely targets for ticket scams which convince people to give up their payment information. Taylor Swift (pictured) was the fourth most dangerous celeb to search for and the second riskiest musician
To ensure you stay safe while looking for your favourite celeb, Ms Gamot says that it is important to be careful what you click on.
Watch out for any offers that seem too good to be true and refrain from illegally streaming or downloading any files such as leaked albums or movies which appear online.
‘If something seems too good to be true, it likely is. To protect their online privacy and identity, consumers must remain vigilant,’ says Ms Gamot.
If you do follow a link to a site that seems suspicious be careful not to ‘log in’ or provide any additional information.
Bear in mind that deep fakes can be personalised to target you so be wary of anything that seems like a personal message from a well-known figure and avoid downloading any videos from non-trusted sources.
