According to security company Sophos, scam websites have been using obfuscated Google Maps links to redirect users to dodgy websites. The Register reports: The reason for this is Google’s recent efforts to get rid of its Goo.gl URL-shortening service. The link-shortening site is a favorite for scammers looking to hide the actual address of pages. Without Goo.gl to pick on, scammers are now abusing a loophole in the Maps API that allows for redirects to be put into Google Maps URLs. This allows the attackers to chain the links to their scam pages within a link to Google Maps, essentially creating a more trustworthy URL that users are more likely to follow. The trick also has the benefit of being harder to catch and shut down than links made with the well-policed Goo.gl service. Because it uses Google Maps, there’s no reporting structure in place to get the scammers shut down and the scammers don’t have to use a Google-owned interface or API to do it.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot – Scammers Are Using Google Maps To Skirt Link-Shortener Crackdown, Redirect Users To Dodgy Websites