🔎Scam Exam(ination)🔍
Seen as: Yubo client / Lovoo client Scam type(s): Malware / Info stealer + ad spreader Content targeted: Devices, Discord, email, ect..
Note: The following information in this post has been borrowed from a post created by a user called Mr. Blue on bluesky. Please be aware that the reason I'm not linking their profile here is because this users profile is not suitable for users under 18.
Update: As of May 20th Mr. Blue has replied to my request and has granted me permission to fully use the images provided in his thread. You can find proof of this at the bottom of this post.
Thanks Mr. Blue!
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Hello everyone,
Today I come with a new scam that I had never heard of until yesterday via Discord, and honestly I gotta say, it's certainly something for me to say that this one took me by surprise.
Not because of it being new, but because of just how damaging it can be, and what the scammers then do with your account(s) once they have access to them.
This scam involves something that's went by two reported names so far, a month ago it was called the "Yubo Client" and more recently it's been seen as the "Lovoo client". This is apparently both an app for your mobile devices, and a downloadable 'client' for your computer.
How it start(s/ed):
From what I could gather via Mr. Blue's Bluesky post, this scam 'starts' by users contacting you via Discord, asking you to join them in watching anime/videos with them on the Lovoo/Yubo client.
Here is how it started for Mr. Blue:
In this thread, another user by the name of null42x86 went to this website (do not go to this website) via a VM to test this client in a safe environment, and noticed something quite.. interesting:
The download file was coming from a persons dropbox. Not an official hosted server like most files/official websites would host a file.
What this product is advertised to do vs what it will do:
This program is advertised as an anime/video/streaming service that allows users to watch videos and movies with their 'friends', allowing them to join private rooms and sync videos together.
What this product will do, however, is infect your device or your computer with malware, a virus. It's reported that this client will steal your passwords, and hijack your accounts. It may possibly even infect you with a RAT program, allowing the owner to watch your computer without you even knowing it. Now, I don't know if it has a RAT in it as I don't know the entirety of what this thing does nor do I wish to test it, but from what I can see happened to Mr. Blue's friend, it will 100% use your Discord accounts as a puppet to try and scam others by trying to get them to download and use the client.
Who knows what other shady things it will do with the info it steals off of your computer or device, let alone what it might inject into it..
Why you should always be cautious:
Discord already offers a way to watch youtube videos together in its client, you can find it by going to the discover tab > entertainment > and find the app called "WatchTogether", and on to of that, there are other, in browser websites that require no download and no account linking, that already exist as well.
You should always be wary of anyone sending you random links to websites, discord servers, 'free nitro/games/things', or anyone who ask you to play this 'cool game I just found. Any kind of spontaneous and random activity from a friend you haven't spoken to in weeks, months, or even years, should be taken with the utmost caution.
If you get sent something weird, and have friends who know this friend too, ask them if they got sent the same thing, or if the friend is being weird too. If so, then it's most likely their account is hacked, and that scammer is now trying to use their account to spread their scam to others.
The best thing you can do in that situation is report their messages, even if they are your friend. Report every weird link they sent you, every weird message, everything. Because if your friend had filed a report that their account got hacked, and you reported that someones using it to spread spam/scams, then they might get it back easier!
You never know. :)
Safe Alternatives to Downloads:
One of the best websites that I've used for over 6 years now is: Watch2Gether: https://w2g.tv
You can watch youtube, twitch, and a bunch of other videos with your friends here, all in sync! If you press pause, it pauses for them. If they press it, it pauses for you! Isn't that neat? You just can't watch movies, obviously. And make sure you have an adblocker while you're at it. :p That way you can block the banner ads and watch stuff uninterrupted.
This website also works on mobile devices!
For movies however, I use Hyperbeam: https://hyperbeam.com/
Hyperbeam is a virtual machine (VM) browser within your browser. So you use your mouse to control the mouse on the screen, click to click it, type to type on the screen, so on and so forth. In Hyperbeam, you can share links to your private (or public!) room with your friends, who can join and view the VM with you, and they will see everything you see!
Alas I will not tell you where to find movies, most people now'a'days know where to find that on their own. Reddit's got some good places to start, however. ;)
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Final Thoughts:
Never download random apps/files people send you, and always try to remember to do the most basic amount of research that you can before going to a weird website you've never went to and downloading files there.
Always make sure to check the address to make sure you're going to the real, official website as well, as scammers like using misspelled websites that look like the real thing, and those can lead to phishing websites that steal your information!
Bee kind, bee safe, and remember to help others not get scammed. <3
-Bee
Proof of permission granted below the cut:
