Criminals constantly reinvent themselves and come up with new cons, frauds, and ways to get access to the money or information they are looking for. This is definitely true in the world of cybercrime where technology and trends are ever-changing. It can be difficult to keep on top of the latest viruses, phishing schemes, and other new online threats. We wanted to highlight just a couple of the things you want to look out for right now.
Phishing Scams
“I have a question about …” – This recent phishing scam normally begins with the subject line “I have a question about”. In the email, the sender will say that he has a question about a website or product and while looking for more information about it online, he came across your information. He then wants to know if you’re affiliated with the product and how you like it. There are no links in the email and it appears to be an attempt to start a conversation to hopefully extract some personal information from you.
Florida Lottery – There is a fake email lottery scam currently in circulation specifically for the Florida Lottery, but that is not to say you won’t see one from other states as well. These types of scams have been around before and are something to look out for. The email says that you have won a “Special Global Email Draw” and asks you to file an email claim for the prize.
Scareware Scams
Twitter links - A scareware scam is being distributed via compromised legitimate Twitter accounts as well as bogus accounts used to send out malevolent web links. The tweets talk about great anti-virus software that is downloadable through the following link. The link however will take you to a harmful web page that shows fake security warnings specific to every browser, i.e. if you’re on Firefox the page will look like the page that is usually displayed when accessing a blacklisted web address through Firefox. Users are then told that a scan is taking place to look for malicious programs, once completed the page will list numerous problems discovered recommending that specific security applications must be taken down.
This is in fact rogue anti-virus software called ThinkPoint that prevents users from getting on their desktops. Computer operators will then start a system reboot which will allow the rogueware to penetrate even deeper. As a result the victims are forced to pay up to remove the malicious programs from their computers.
Hard-disk Application – A JavaScript code added to legitimate websites’ online advertisements instructs the Web browser to show a certain window or access a domain that releases exploits on the host computer. These exploits run a downloader that pulls down the bogus hard-disk benefiting application on the system. A notice will then show up on your screen stating that your hard disk cannot be found. The idea is then that the user will be scared enough to click the “Enable Defrag HDD Repair”, which will then open a box asking for payment.
We hope this helps you protect your personal data and financial information. Protect your email accounts by making sure you don’t respond to emails about contests you haven’t entered or from people you don’t know. Make sure you have your own anti-malware protection on your computer and keep it updated.
To ensure complete protection when performing any online transaction or just browsing online, install SafeCentral’s WebProtection™ on your computer. SafeCentral’s WebProtection™ has:
- Patented technology to block key-loggers, screen-scrapers and other malware agents, even on an already infected PC
- Secure DNS to ensure a connection to the actual site, eliminating man-in-the-middle attacks
- Automated "launch anywhere" protection for seamless integration into your existing browsing habits
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