Malvertising

Malvertising, short for malicious advertising, is when criminals use real online advertising networks to spread scams or malicious software. A common form is a sponsored search result for free software, like a video editor, PDF reader or meeting app, that leads to a convincing fake download page. Some ads display a genuine company address but redirect you elsewhere after the click. Malvertising also appears as social media ads for fake shops or investment schemes. Because ads are bought and shown automatically, they are not reliably checked. Scroll past "Sponsored" results, download from official app stores or the developer's own site, and consider an ad blocker from a reputable developer.