Serial killer near you? Here’s the real story behind this fake alert
BY KERRY TOMLINSON, AMPERE NEWS
October 20, 2021
Update October 27, 2021: Google removed the ad after Ampere News sent multiple requests for answers. Update in seventh paragraph.
The warning showed up on computer screens over the past week.
"URGENT: Serial Killer Near You - Local Emergency Safety Alert," it reads. "Urgent: Serial killer spotted in your zip code 12 minutes ago."
But this alert is fake. Here's the real story behind this bogus banner ad.
Watch here:
Killer on the Loose
It looks like a warning. But it's really an ad popping up on YouTube and other places as well.
"That's disgusting," writes one viewer on Reddit, commenting on the ad in a post with more than 150 responses.
"I got this at school and some kid freaked out when it was on my Google ads."
"Causing panic to get people to click on an ad should be against the terms of service for ANY website."
"Report this (bleep)."
A serial killer ‘alert’ showed up on screens claiming that a serial killer was “near you.” Image: Ampere News
Who’s Behind it?
If you tried to report it on YouTube, you saw only limited information saying the ad is from Double Corn Media, a company with no visible website or presence online.
One of the few available records for Double Corn Media is a business registration in Missouri. Its real owner information is blocked by the use a private registration company called CT Corporation.
We dug further, checking the sites shown in the serial killer ads, like getmyweatherdaily (dot) com and heavensentdaily (dot) com.
These names lead to biting comments online like, "heavensentdaily (dot) com... as in we give little old ladies heart attacks thinking there's a killer nearby and send them to heaven daily," and "serialkillerssentdaily (dot) com."
Both sites are run by Amply Media, also based in Missouri.
Amply did not respond to our emails and calls about this ad that is drawing so much criticism online.
"This one we throw into the we throw into the scam area, because it's a misleading, extremely misleading claim," said Gavin Dunaway, who researches bad ads for The Media Trust, a digital security company.
The Real Danger
"Is there a serial killer in our area?" we asked Dunaway.
"If you click through on that ad," he responded, "you don't find any information about any crime or anything."
Clicking on the ad link takes you to a new screen with another dubious claim, Dunaway said.
"Tap allow to view emergency safety alert issued 19 minutes ago," it reads, claiming to be from the "Department of Defense - National Guard Bureau."
A fake alert that claims to offer police alerts if you tap “allow.” Image: The Media Trust
Then it sends you on to another shady site with the headline "Dangerous Crime Update," but no information about crime at all.
"It's nothing but ads," Dunaway said. "Just simply tons and tons of clickbait ads."
"We definitely labeled that as malicious because it is misleading to consumers and could potentially put them in harm's way," he said.
A web page that claims you will find a “Dangerous Crime Update Below,” but serves up only ads, according to Gavin Dunaway of The Media Trust. Please note that the woman in the ad is wearing a bathing suit. Image: The Media Trust
Harm's Way?
If you tap ‘allow’ like the fake alert requests, you could actually sign yourself up for push notification messages on your phone or laptop.
Push notifications help you get messages from sites and services quickly. But they can also be abused.
"There are other less savory bad actors who are actually using them to basically invade your screen whenever they can, because you can monetize push notifications. You can send advertising through them. So, it's another way for a website to make money," he said.
In addition, shady sites and ads can trick people into clicking and downloading malware, some of which can in turn bombard you with even more ads --- and more chances to get malware.
None of that sounds heaven-sent.
Made For Ads?
What's going on with these Amply Media sites?
There's a trend of made-for-advertising sites, according to Dunaway.
"You click and then you go and there's a kind of low-quality, not very well written article just surrounded by ads," he explained. "Now, this site is not trying to get you to come back. They just want your impression for that moment. And just serve you as many advertisements as possible."
Are getmyweatherdaily and heavensentdaily part of this trend, we asked?
"These sites that are putting out these very over-the-top 'serial killer in your neighborhood' ads appear to be doing something very similar," Dunaway said. "They're looking to show you as many ads as possible, and possibly to get you to jump on push notifications so they can serve you more ads through that."
More ads, and apparently through the use of fake ads about serial killers near you.
"That is malicious advertising in our book," he said.
Update: Ad is gone!
Ampere News contacted Google three times about the serial killer ad without receiving a response to our questions. Finally, after the fourth contact, Google responded and said the ad has been removed.
Google updated its policy on misleading ads last year. A spokesperson said they added a specific call-out for clickbait.
This updated policy says Google does not allow “ads that use negative life events such as death, accidents, illness, arrests or bankruptcy to induce fear, guilt or other strong negative emotions to pressure the viewer to take immediate action.”
The consequences of running this kind of clickbait ad may lead to a warning, but not an immediate suspension of the account, according to the policy.
In a post about the policy update in July 2020, Google said shady advertisers have increased their use of “pressure tactics, celebrity images, cliffhanger language and graphic content to gain more clicks.” The company said it took down more than 50 million sensationalist ads in 2019.
What To Do
The number of bad ads has grown during the pandemic because companies are spending less money on ads and publishers are accepting lesser quality advertisements, according to Dunaway.
What we can do?
For one, report the ad to the site you see it on, he said. You may not hear back from the site, but at least you're getting it on the record.
Also, the bad advertisers are hoping you will react before you think and click on their links. Defeat them by stopping to process what you're reading before you react.
