The popular Red Dead Redemption game is being used as bait to trick victims into downloading fake anti-virus software.

"One aspect of the game is a treasure hunt, which features cryptic clues and drawings linked to landmarks in the gameworld where hidden virtual bars of gold might be found," writes The Register's John Leyden. "Surfers looking to search for these treasure maps online would be advised to proceed with caution. Miscreants have manipulated search engine results so that many sites that feature prominently in searches for likely terms link to scareware portals."

"Scareware attacks are increasingly commonplace but are most often themed around breaking news events (eg celebrity deaths, natural disasters etc)," Leyden writes. "Tapping into the buzz created by a popular video game therefore represents something of a shift in tactics by cybercrooks."

Click here to read the article at The Register.