Steve Jobs passed away, and while many parts of the world are mourning the tech industry’s lost, there are a few who would want to take advantage of this event by scamming unwary Internet users.

Such is the case when Michael Jackson, Osama bin Laden and Amy Winehouse died. Hours after the reported death of these people, links offering the video, picture or so-called proofs of their cadaver sprung social media websites including Facebook and Twitter.

True enough, just couple of hours after the death of Steve Jobs is announced, scammers were already able to set up a campaign tricking people into clicking malicious links. Sophos Naked Security Blog noted that a link circulating on Facebook claimed that Apple is giving away 50 iPads in memory of its former CEO Steve Jobs. The link then will take you to a website where you will have to answer a survey so you will be able to join the event, of course this is a scam and no contest or giveaway promo exists.


The same stunt was scene just recently, after Amy Winehouse a Facebook post about a website claiming to have a video of her death was circulating, but in reality, the link only goes to a website that will ask the user to fill out a survey. There is no video or picture whatsoever. This scam spreads virally because people are curious, and that’s what the scammers take advantage at. The culprits earn a small fee every time a user completes a survey paid by advertisers who are dying to get your name, address, phone numbers and emails.

The good news is websites like Facebook and even URL shortening service have taken a move against these scams. Now, they will give you a warning saying that the URL you’re trying to visit may contain scams, it’s now all upon you if still want to be victimized by these hoaxers.