These Fake DeepSeek Ads Are Spreading Dangerous Malware

A series of DeepSeek scam ads on Google are delivering dangerous information-stealing malware to unsuspecting DeepSeek users — but there are some warning signs to help you stay safe.

Beware of these fake DeepSeek ads!

Malwarebytes researchers first discovered the fake DeepSeek ads in late March 2025.

These malicious DeepSeek ads take anyone searching for the Chinese-developed AI chatbot to a fake website designed to look like the real thing. If you click on the download link on the fake site, it downloads the Heracles MSIL Trojan, an information-stealing software designed to target user data, private information, and especially cryptocurrency wallets.

According to the Malwarebytes blog, the fake ads aren’t exactly convincing. In the example below, you can see the difference between a regular Google DeepSeek ad and the fake version:

However, if you visit the fake DeepSeek link, the scam page is much more convincing:

It has some key differences from the real DeepSeek site (image above), but it's a convincing copy that should get you caught.

How to Avoid Fake DeepSeek Ads in Google Search

Unfortunately, fake Google ads are a big problem that affects many tech companies. In February 2025, researchers at Malwarebytes discovered a campaign targeting Microsoft that was trying to trick people into downloading malware.

This time, the AI ​​chatbot DeepSeek is the bait. Since its launch in early 2025, DeepSeek has become one of the most popular AI chatbots, with many preferring DeepSeek over ChatGPT . Its popularity is why we now see fake DeepSeek ads being used to distribute information-stealing malware.

Fortunately, avoiding fake DeepSeek ads on Google is relatively simple.

1. First, avoid sponsored posts on Google. Specifically related to this threat, avoid DeepSeek sponsored ads. But in general, it's best to ignore them, as this is one way scammers trick people into clicking on malicious links.
2. Always double check the URL of the website you are visiting. The official website URL is deepseek.com - there are no other links.
3. There is no official DeepSeek desktop application (at least not at the time of writing). You can install DeepSeek on your PC or laptop. However, it is not a true “desktop application” in the sense that you download and install it directly from DeepSeek.
4. The fake DeepSeek website pushes you to a large Download button , which again does not exist on the real DeepSeek website.

In short, if you're not sure if you're on the right site, double-check the URL and if you see anything unusual, close the page.