Hackers use NHL legend Wayne Gretzky as bait in new online scam

With social media taking a bigger and more important place in everyone's life, there was very little doubt that some people would try to hurt others by exploiting their emotional connections with their heroes.

Wayne Gretzky, one of the most legendary athletes of all time, has millions of fans all over the world, and some scammers are trying to take advantage of people's love for him.

How does it happen? By creating fake news that prompts users to click on a link in order to generate traffic on websites and get advertising revenues.

On X, a wave of posts involving Wayne Gretzky is going viral for the wrong reasons.

A fake news story involving Gretzky is encouraging people to click on a link. The post includes a fake picture of the player being escorted by the police.

Check it out:

While this method has been used for years now, some people still click on obvious fake links and contribute to the problem.

Hopefully, people will start to see that social media isn't the best way to get true information and will find other sources to get news.

Gretzky, 63, turned to hockey analysis and broadcasting following a 20-season NHL career that saw him score 2,857 points, including 894 goals for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and New York Rangers.

Source: Derek Neumeier on X

Source for Wayne Gretzky's statistics: NHL.com