Paige Chua found to be the 'most dangerous celebrity' in Singapore, this is why

People have said that fame is a double-edged sword, but this is almost ridiculous. 

Paige Chua, with her squeaky clean image in all her 12 years in showbiz, now has a new accolade to her name.

In an annual McAfee Singapore study released today, the 39-year-old local actress topped the list of the 10 most dangerous celebrities to search for in Singapore, as her name generates the most harmful links online.

South Korean actor Park Seo-joon (known for his role on Itaewon Class), singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, and Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman are some of the other names on the list.

According to the study, this is the first time Paige has appeared on McAfee's list, and it's due to her roles in recent dramas such as Happy Prince and The Good Fight. The actress also gained recognition for her performances in the dramas Mightiest Mother-in-Law and When Duty Calls.

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The study also observed that in 2020, the circuit breaker measures resulted in Singaporeans being particularly active online as they scour the internet for a wide variety of entertainment.

From free movies and TV shows to the latest celebrity news, they turned to digital celebrity content to entertain themselves. Hence, hackers have honed in on this trend and developed their scam strategies based on consumer behaviour.

Popular dramas starring Paige are mostly available on platforms such as YouTube and MeWATCH, while hit dramas starring Park Seo-joon are available on VIU Singapore. Although free to stream, they require internet connection to watch and have advertisements embedded in videos. 

To access convenient, ad-free entertainment on-the-go, consumers are downloading content illegally, exposing themselves to the risk of losing personal information.

AsiaOne has reached out to Paige to find out what she thinks of this and we'll update the article when we hear back.

Here's the full list of celebrities from the study:

Some tips you can use to stay safe online, as provided by McAfee:

• Be careful what you click. Looking for popular coming-of-age films from the last decade, or updates on your favourite celebrities? Be cautious and only click on links to reliable sources. The safest thing to do is to wait for official releases and leverage legitimate TV and movie streaming platforms, instead of visiting third-party websites that could contain malware.
   
• Refrain from illegal streaming and downloading suspicious mp3s. Whether it's Shawn Mendes or Selena Gomez's hit songs, it is important to only use legitimate music streaming platforms even if they come at a cost. Many illegal downloads are riddled with malware or adware disguised as mp3 files.
   
• Protect your online safety with a cybersecurity solution. This can help protect you from malware, phishing attacks, and other threats.
   
• Use parental control software. Kids are fans of celebrities too, so ensure that limits are set for your child on their devices and use parental control software to help minimise exposure to potentially malicious or inappropriate websites.

Shashwat Khandelwal, McAfee's head of Southeast Asia consumer, added: "Consumers may not be fully aware of the risk their searches present, and the costs associated with compromised personal information in exchange for such access.

"With cybercriminals continuing to implement deceptive practices such as fake sites that offer free content, it is vital that consumers learn to protect their digital lives from malicious actors by thinking twice before clicking."

bryanlim@asiaone.com