While scrolling through the Facebook news feed, we came across an ad from a site called Mid-Journey AI. A supposedly free version of the Midjourney image AI is promised here.

Screenshot Facebook ad / “Mid-Journey AI”
Screenshot Facebook ad / “Mid-Journey AI”

But be careful! Before you let yourself be deceived by such tempting offers, you should take a closer look. Here's why this ad is nothing but a blatant fake.

Fake “Mid-Journey AI”

There are several indicators that, at first glance, set alarm bells ringing for us:

  • The spelling: Midjourney does not have a hyphen in its name. “Mid-Journey AI” is simply misspelled.
  • “Free trial version” / Free trial version: Yes, there was a free trial version of Midjourney. However, this has no longer been offered since March .
  • No official Facebook page: group called “Midjourney Official” on its Facebook website , not a page. The page on Facebook can be found here . – This is not the site that is currently running ads.

Fake Facebook page

If you take a closer look at the “Mid-Journey AI” Facebook page, it quickly becomes clear that something is wrong. In the page transparency you can see that the page was previously called “Fish Gourmet Seafood Lounge” and was renamed on July 18th. How is it possible for a restaurant site to suddenly become a platform for AI technology?

Screenshot Facebook page transparency
Screenshot Facebook page transparency

It seems obvious that the site has been hijacked and repurposed to provide the scammers with a seemingly reputable base.

Only for a few hours have there been posts here that relate to Midjourney. Before that, you received information about menus and the restaurant itself. The shop hasn't been cleaned up either:

Screenshot Facebook / shop view
Screenshot Facebook / shop view

The decoy: Free version of Midjourney?

The ad promises a free version of the image AI Midjourney. There is a link to this in the Facebook ad. However, this does not lead - as one might assume - to midjourney.com , but to a free Google site. Not necessarily serious.

MIMIKAMA
Screenshot Google site “Midjourney Ai Generator”

On this page, the image AI is obviously offered as a download for Windows. It is important to know that Midjourney does not allow direct installation on PC, tablet or smartphone. The images are generated via Discord by entering prompts.

The scammers behind this site make it even more tempting by claiming that there is a free version that you can install locally on your computer. But Midjourney no longer offers a free subscription. The cheapest subscription, “Basic,” costs $10 per month.

When you click on the download button, a RAR file named “midjourney setup (2).rar” will be downloaded. What exactly is hidden in this file can only be guessed at. However, there is a high probability that it is malware such as Trojans or other malicious programs.

Protection and precautionary measures

With the growing number of fraudulent online offers, it is important to take some protective measures and exercise caution. Here are some points to consider:

  • Be skeptical of tempting offers: If something sounds too good to be true, in most cases it is. Free versions of paid products definitely fall into this pattern: too good to be true.
  • Verify the source: Check the authenticity and credibility of the website or Facebook page before downloading any personal information or files.
  • Use reliable antivirus software: Update your antivirus software regularly and run scans to detect and remove malicious programs.
  • Report fraudulent ads: If you encounter suspicious ads, report them to the appropriate platforms to protect other users.

Failure of Facebook

It is unfortunate that such deceptive Facebook ads have the ability to deceive users. The fact that the "Mid-Journey AI" page was apparently hacked and that the ad is a fraudulent fake raises questions about the extent to which Facebook's security measures are working. The company appears to have failed to thoroughly vet ads and identify fake content before presenting them to a wide audience.

This negligence on the part of Facebook gives rise to criticism. The impression is that financial interests are more important than protecting users. It is unacceptable that fraudulent ads can even appear and endanger potential victims. To restore user trust, it is time for Facebook to strengthen its security measures and ensure that such deceptions are effectively combated.

User safety should be a top priority and Facebook must take measures to ensure that such deceptive ads no longer appear on its platform. No matter how big the financial interests may be, privacy and online security should never be neglected. It is Facebook's responsibility to live up to its responsibility and ensure that its platform is a safe place for all users.

Conclusion

Scammers are always finding new ways to trick their victims. Here they jump on the bandwagon of the popular image AI generators. The “Mid-Journey AI” ad on Facebook promising a free version of Image AI is nothing but a sneaky fake. The fake Facebook page, the dubious link and the suspicious RAR file are clear indications that malware could be at play here.

So be careful and protect yourself by thoroughly checking fraudulent offers and taking the protective measures mentioned above. Your online protection should always be a top priority to avoid giving malicious actors a chance.

This might also interest you:

A trap in the Facebook Marketplace
How Google Bard gets caught up in the web of cybercrime
WormGPT: The chatbot that helps cybercriminals with phishing


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )