Search Engine Poisoning
Also known as: malvertising, SEO poisoning
A technique where scammers pay for search ads to appear above legitimate results, tricking users into clicking fake support or login pages.
Search engine poisoning is the practice of buying paid search ads to appear above legitimate results for high-value queries like tech support, banking login, or driver downloads. Scammers exploit the trust users place in top search results to redirect victims to fake pages that look identical to real manufacturer or institution sites. The technique pairs with social engineering to extract payment, credentials, or remote access from the victim.