Malicious 'Greeting Card' Email Returns
It's not a new scam, but it has returned with a vengeance. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is receiving an increasing number of complaints about an email messages disguised as friendly greeting card notifications which really send recipients to a malicious Web page where they can pick up a computer virus.
The email messages, which are called e-cards or postcards, can contain the malware as an attachment or they contain a link that sends the recipient to a malicious Web page where they can pick up viruses, keystroke loggers, or other Trojan horse programs, the FBI said in a press release.
"Like many other Internet fraud schemes, the perpetrators use social engineering tactics to entice the victim, claiming the card is from a family member or friend. Although there have been variations in the spam message and attached malware, generally the spam directs the recipient to click the link provided in the email to view their e-card. Upon clicking the link, the recipient is unknowingly taken to a malicious web page," the FBI release said.
The e-cards sometimes appear to be from legitimate e-card greeting Web sites, but the actual URLs of the links point to a numeric address, rather than one containing the name of the postcard company.
Two Other Email Scams
The FBI also reports an increase in complaints about two other email scams. In one, the email appears to be from the FBI itself, using pictures of the FBI Director, seal, and logos. The emails are really versions of the Nigerian scam posing as lottery endorsements and inheritance notifications.
Another scam appears to be from officials of the U.S. Military sent on behalf of soldiers serving overseas. They usually request personal information or funds to help the soldiers.
All of these are hoaxes and should be deleted immediately, the FBI advises. They can also be reported by filing a complaint at Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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Comments
I would think by now the email attachment device for con games of every type would have been totally discredited.
Yet, so many people still fall into these baited traps. Object is nothing more than to extract clues with which to put together a complete stolen identity.
The tools? viruses, breaking encryption, getting voluntary information spills–anything that works.
It’s hight time everybody wised up. The only way is to insist that any “attachments” be included in the body of an email. Or, a simple push on the delete button will take care of the problem.
–Jack Payne
http://www.sixhrs.com