Whenever there’s a sociopolitical or economic crisis, the lowest rung of online marketers finds a way to prey on the vulnerable and disenfranchised.
Some con artists have posed as debt advisors for people during times of economic insecurity; others target addicts seeking rehab using online indicators of depression and anxiety. The pending overturn of Roe v. Wade is no different and will create a new class of online audiences that are potential prey.
“Cyber criminals are the best marketers today,” said Alisha Rosen, marketing and branding manager at ad security company GeoEdge. “They see a trend and say, ‘Let me hop on this.’”
These marketing ploys aren’t dictated by politics – some scams siphon “donations” and data from anti-abortion activists, too.
The Roe v. Wade decision hanging in jeopardy is only “giving bad actors more angles to prey on victims,” said Louis-David Mangin, CEO and co-founder of ad quality and security firm Confiant.
When opportunity hits, bad actors can use cookies and age and gender demo data to set parameters for a jackpot audience most likely to fall for their scam, then serve ads to user IDs that match the profile.
Weighing the risks
Donation scams soliciting payment information are already prevalent in light of Roe v. Wade hanging by a proverbial thread, GeoEdge’s Rosen noted.
These types of ads often dupe users into clicking on ads that address…
