Beware of Scammers Impersonating Ryan Gosling, Jennifer Lopez and 8 Other Celebrities

McAfee, a US-based online security company, recently identified well-known celebrities whose names are often used by scammers to direct users to malware or malicious websites when searching online.

According to a study published by McAfee Labs, Canadian actor Ryan Gosling is at the top of the list of celebrities whose names are most used by cybercriminals in online scams. Actress Emily Blunt, tech mogul Elon Musk and rapper Bad Bunny are also among the celebrities whose names may lead to malicious websites when you search for them online.

This research is an update to McAfee’s 15-year tradition of identifying celebrity names in web searches most associated with malware and risky websites that can lead consumers to unwittingly install malware and compromise their data, privacy and identity.

Top Ten on McAfee’s Hacker Celebrity Hot List

1. – Ryan Gosling, critically acclaimed actor and star of this summer’s hit movie Barbie
2. – Emily Blunt, critically acclaimed actress and star of this summer’s hit film Oppenheimer
3. – Jennifer Lopez, pop culture icon, critically acclaimed singer, actress and producer
4. – Zendaya, critically acclaimed actress and singer
5. – Kevin Costner, critically acclaimed actor and director and star of the hit series Yellowstone
6. – Elon Musk, business magnate and technology entrepreneur
7. – Al Roker, TODAY weatherman, author and reporter
8. – Margot Robbie, critically acclaimed actress and star of this summer’s hit movie Barbie
9. – Bad Bunny, critically acclaimed singer and first non-English speaking artist to be named Spotify’s most streamed artist of the year
10. – America Ferrera, critically acclaimed actress and well-known co-star of this summer’s hit movie Barbie” Gosling is a cheater’s favorite lure thanks to the super popular Barbie movie. His popularity skyrocketed after the film’s release, as did the number of Barbie and Ryan Gosling hoaxes,” the report states. This year’s riskiest celebrities include some of the most talked-about sports stars and athletes. Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi is on the list at No. 18, closely followed by Tom Brady at No. 19 , Travis Kelce at No. 22 (ahead of Taylor Swift, who comes in at No. 25), Steph Curry at No. 19, 23, Aaron Rodgers at No. 31, and Serena Williams at No. 32. The updated list shows how the world of online security has changed, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence. Cybercriminals are now using artificial intelligence to create more complex and diverse scams, including scams that use celebrity names for malicious purposes.