Tai Chi and community activities malware scam

9 Mar 2026

Scammers are advertising ‘free’ classes and creating fake groups on social media platforms and search engines. We’ve seen these for a range of activities including Tai Chi, dancing, walking, or hiking.

Once you join the online group, you will receive a call or message from the group administrator.

You’ll be told to download an app from a website to view and register for the free classes. The website may have a button or link to click to ‘Download’ the app from an app store but once you click, it will immediately begin downloading the malware directly to your device. The malware can access and steal your money.

Who’s at risk

• Web and social media users
• People interested in free or new activities

What this might look like
Shown is an example of an online community group set up by scammers.

Warning signs

• Offers for free classes, activities, and events that require you to click on links, download attachments or install software.
• Calls or messages from “group administrators”.
• Class locations and times not freely available
• Being asked to download an app from a third-party website.

This alert was received from ScamWatch 6 March 2026

Tags: safety