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"It didn't take long for the media to latch on to the news that an alleged thief stole Justin Bieber's laptop and camera backstage at a recent concert, but it turns out the whole thing was a marketing ploy to bring attention to his new single featuring Nicki Minaj.\nAlthough the initiative was clever \u2014 creating hype around the song \"Beauty and the Beat\" and poking fun at the gullible media at the same time \u2014 it also ushered in a wave of security concerns. Cybercriminals are known to set phishing traps and lure unsuspecting consumers to click on malicious links based around pop culture news, especially when leaked photos are involved. And it didn't take long for that to happen.\nMashable editor Lance Ulanoff was among those who received a direct message on Twitter with a malicious link said to reveal naked photos. The link directs users to sign into a phishing website that resembles Twitter \u2014 called tviwtter.com \u2014 in an attempt to extract user names and passwords. But once you sign in, a 404 error page appears.\nAccording to threat-detection company GFI Labs, the website was registered on Wednesday to someone in China:\n\"Users of Twitter should steer clear of the promise of Bieber nudes, especially if asked to login to unfamiliar websites because in all likelihood somebody just wants to get their hands on your login,\" the site said.\n\nSEE ALSO: Top 10 Dangerous Celebrities on the Web\nThe story first started on Thursday when Twitter user @gexwy came forward with never-before-seen video clips of the pop star, following reports that Bieber's laptop and camera were missing. However, the incident became questionable when the singer confronted the thief on Twitter, who said they would release big news and a controversial video on Friday at noon. \n\"No matter what you have and what you post tomorrow i know my fans wont leave me. screw it. #toostrong,\" Bieber tweeted.\n\n@justinbieber haha. that is what u think. we will see tomorrow at NOON. last chance.\n\u2014 gexwy (@gexwy) October 12, 2012\n\nThe singer then told fans to stay tuned and tweeted articles that referenced the situation. Not to mention tweets from Nicki Minaj also pointed to a noon announcement.\nAnd sure enough, as tween fans everywhere held their breath for sexy pictures of Bieber, @gexwy tweeted the video for \"Beauty and the Beat\" right on time.\n\n\n\nand HERE it is ! youtu.be/Ys7-6_t7OEQ\u2014 gexwy (@gexwy) October 12, 2012\n\n\n\nSecurity expert Tony Anscombe of security firm AVG said these types of phishing scams are quite common.\n\"Scams like this are happening on a daily basis,\" Anscombe told Mashable. \"Cybercriminals use timely stories to bring traffic back to their phishing site and leveraging rumors about naked celebrity pictures is a common way to do so. If it sounds too good to be true or too out of the ordinary, it probably is.\"\nAnscombe added there might be some good to come out of Bieber's marketing initiative: \"Although the prank is generating traffic to phishing sites which is not good, it may also bring attention to the importance of cybersecurity and keeping information on devices such as laptops more secure.\"\nWhat do you think of the marketing ploy: Is it brilliant or too risky due to potential phishing scams? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. \nUPDATE: The Associated Press is reporting that Bieber's initial tweet about having his laptop stolen was legit. His publicist hasn't responded to a request for comment.\n\n\n10 Most 'Dangerous' Celebrities Online\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. Emma Watson\n\n\nImage: Flickr, David Shankbone\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. Jessica Biel\n\n\nImage: Flickr, Maggie Jumps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. Eva Mendes\n\n\nImage: Flickr, Nicolas Genin\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Selena Gomez\n\n\nImage: Flickr, Amanda Nobles\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. Halle Berry\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6. Megan Fox\nImage courtesy Luke Ford.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n7. Shakira\nImage courtesy Andrew Arantz.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8. Cameron Diaz\n\n\nImage: Flickr, David Shankbone\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n9. Salma Hayek \n\n\nImage: Flickr, FICG.mx\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n10. Sofia Vergara\n\n\nImage: Flickr, Keith Hinkle\n\n\n\n\n\n\n      window._msla=window.loadScriptAsync||function(src,id){if(document.getElementById(id))return;var js=document.createElement('script');js.id=id;js.src=src;document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0].parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);};\n_msla(\"//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\",\"twitter_jssdk\");"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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