Google can do amazing things, but some searches can lead to your computer downloading malware, you losing money, or even getting arrested.
“Are Bengal cats legal in New York City?”
When you search for specific exotic animals in combination with geolocated searches for exotic pet ownership laws, you can get flagged by agencies that patrol these search terms.
Animal and wildlife search trends are tracked by services that aim to understand the black market trade of exotic animals and domestic ownership within certain areas.
States such as New York have heavy fines and health code violations if you are caught owning hybrid cats such as Bengals or Savannahs. Looking up ways to get these animals transported can easily lead you to breeders who are illegally bringing them in.
“How to bypass activation lock on iPhone?”
If you’ve typed “how to bypass Activation Lock on iPhone” into your search bar at some point, you’ve likely encountered a dozen websites promising you the magical tool needed to bypass Activation Lock.
But here’s the thing: most of these solutions simply won’t work. Because Activation Lock is directly connected to Apple’s servers, there’s no way to bypass it with software or a downloaded “unlock” utility.
Phishing scams can also surface when you search for terms like this. SEO poisoning attempts lure you into downloading fake “unlock” software. Malware like trojans, keyloggers, and ransomware can come bundled with these downloads. Or your private info and browser cookies could be at stake when you click on a sketchy link promising a “jailbreak unlocker.”
“Free PDF download of (rare/out-of-print books)”
Fraudsters prey on collectors of obscure reading materials by spinning up bots that host fake pages offering downloads of obscure textbooks, out-of-print books, or paywall academic journals.
Entering queries for these specific PDF documents leads to results from malicious bots offering fake PDF shells with embedded JavaScript. Security researchers, including those at Kaspersky, have observed that clicking these links typically leads to drive-by malware infections or gets users stuck in redirect loops.
“Customer support number for cryptocurrency wallet or exchange”
Your go-to non-custodial crypto exchange or hardware wallet provider won’t ever have a direct phone line for speaking with someone.
Fraudsters purchase Pay-Per-Click Google Ads which appear at the very top of search engine results when using phone helpline keywords.
These results show spoofed 1-800 numbers. On these lines, you’ll encounter scam operations that employ aggressive social engineering to extract your 12 or 24-word recovery phrase and drain your accounts.
“How to make homemade fireworks with household chemicals?”
When you search for terms related to oxidizers, explosives ingredients, and bombers, it will automatically notify Homeland Security and the FBI since those are trigger words.
In addition to alerting government watch lists, you could actually get hurt. Many search engines will pull up forums with tutorials containing miscalculated ratios.
Professional chemists have made it clear that when you mix unstable materials that are commonly found at home such as bleach and brake cleaner, it will explosively ignite itself before you can complete mixing them together.
“Is (your specific home street address) in a high-crime neighborhood?”
Entering your address into search bars pumps your specific personal data into aggregator databases. Your query is logged by search engines and third-party advertisers to create hyper-local behavioral profiles that connect your IP with your home address.
Privacy researchers found that these logs are scraped by brokers and sold again to create more specific data on you like location based spear-phishing or local housing spam.
“How to hack my partner’s WhatsApp account?”
Digging around for tools to spy on another person without their consent immediately immerses you into a world of stalkerware and password pilfering kits. Every piece of software ranking for these terms is malware intended to infect whoever searches for it.
Digital security analysts at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have discovered that any mobile app claiming to give you access to another person’s message history will first ask you to turn off your phone’s security features, then install surveillance software that monitors you and your target.
“How to fake a positive COVID/flu test result for work”
Searching for ways to alter medical records or falsify test results will take you to websites hosting downloadable fake doctor’s notes with pixel-tracking code inserted.
But more importantly, attempting to use falsified documents to game your employer’s attendance policy is outright fraud and against your employment agreement.
Companies have been known to dismiss staff for misconduct and pursue financial compensation once HR can confirm that medical documentation was sourced from fraudulent online operations.
“Cheap flight tickets promo code”
Search terms with discount voucher keywords are heavily victimized by typosquatting and phantom travel agency fraud. Copycat sites hack into airline booking engines and buy most ad space for coupon searches, luring users to enter their credit card information and passport info.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) often flags these fraudulent booking sites that issue fake confirmation numbers and swindle travelers out of substantial sums.
“How to access the dark web on a work computer”
Enterprise network monitoring systems, such as Endpoint Detection Response (EDR) Suite software monitors users’ web traffic and search queries.
Enter darknet web tunnels, onion routing, etc. in your search bar and automatic alerts will be sent to your IT security teams desk. It’s highly probable that your company’s policy memos classify “asking how to tunnel around the enterprise firewall” as insider threat behavior.
“Where to buy prescription medications online without a prescription”
The vast majority of rogue pharmacies that appear for searches related to buying meds without a prescription are not following pharmacy safety guidelines. According to the World Health Organization, upwards of 50% of pharmaceuticals sold through websites that don’t display their location information are fake.
FDA laboratory analysis found that these unregulated pills often contain incorrectly dosed active pharmaceuticals, industrial fat substitutes, or lethal doses of fentanyl.
Buying medications online without consulting your pharmacist can land you a medication that seriously endangers your life.
“How to delete my criminal record online for free?”
Government courts and police departments are the only places that maintain arrest records and criminal databases. Any sites advertising removal of criminal history will redirect you to fee-for-service sites that claim to be legal clinics or public record offices.
They will ask you to pay fees before they process your information OR they will request private information (i.e. Social Security number, date of birth). This leaves you exposed to identity theft, with no change to your public record.
“Could (very specific symptoms) mean I have terminal cancer?”
Go ahead. Type your ridiculous hypothetical into Google and see what happens. Performing searches for exceedingly specific symptoms is a well-documented Internet problem called “cyberchondria.”
Search engines are ranked by attention-grabbing clickbait, which means they show worse-case scenarios. Don’t worry, you probably don’t have terminal cancer.
If you do this, the upshot is you’ll probably worry a great deal more about it, a development that the Journal of Anxiety Disorders’ researchers indicate can fuel anxiety and the impulse for unneeded medical evaluations.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
Like our content? Be sure to follow us.
16 places boomers went for help before Google existed
Have you ever wondered about how people solved their problems before they could just search Google on their phones? Even without smartphones, search bars or AI technology, Boomers found answers to their everyday questions and challenges.
