Harry Potter Fans Swindled By Hackers

Harry Potter fans desperate for a sneak preview of the new film are being ripped off by hackers. Cybercriminals are planting links on blogging websites to tempt eager punters to watch the soon to be released Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for free.

Clicking the link opens a new page where the Potter potty are apparently just a press of the mouse away from an early premiere.

But first lovers of JK Rowling's fantastical creations are told they must download and install a "streamviewer" in order to watch it.

Like a bad spell the streamweaver downloads "malware" which secretly records personal information such as passwords, and bank card numbers.

These details are gathered by hackers often working for organised crime networks and sold on.

Fraudsters can then reproduce account details onto blank cards ready to be sold over the internet or use the information for other scams.

Michael Greene, vice president of Product Strategy for PC Tools, said Harry Potter fans are being hit because of the buzz surrounding the new release.

"It's a case of curiosity kills the cat... If you want to see the Harry Potter video before it's released you are going to click on the link. But it's likely you'll get an infection on your computer.

"It's not uncommon to target major events. The malwriters need an audience in order to deliver the malware."

The difficulty in tackling cybercrime is the pace of change. New malware is written every day so programs cannot easily be detected by anti-virus software.

Unfortunately this means impatient fans could be left with no money to see the real movie when it hits cinemas.