Spammers Use New Tricks Without Abandoning Old Ones

Security researchers at Trend Micro have found spam mails that say that the person receiving the e-mail has an admirer who has enclosed his/her profile in the message so that the recipient can know more about his secret follower.

State reports that the link supplies users a TinyURL that diverts the person onto a number of random websites prior to displaying the real one.

However, no profile is actually given instead there is an advertisement, with the website touting an application that allows users to view more than 1,000 worldwide TV channels for a charge to be paid only once.

But when the user makes an attempt to shut the site, a dialog window emerges and someone begins a conversation regarding the firm's product, while presenting a discount so that a deal can be made.

Seeing this new trick, Trend Micro's experts remarked that spammers seemed to be trying out several approaches to display their goods and services to their spam mail recipients. Spam messages promoting Viagra or weight-loss drugs also present discount packages, while other common lures that spammers use to trick recipients into clicking malicious links are offers of free holiday trips.

These techniques, state the researchers are used in the majority of spam mails. They are also the most traditional as well as tried and tested methods that spammers use to distribute spam and entice innocent people.

Nevertheless, an interesting aspect of the latest spam mail is that its deceptive link promotes entertainment software something that hasn't been heard of so far. Clearly, it represents yet another ruse of malware purveyors or spammers to get people to click vicious e-mail links, Trend Micro's researchers said.

Furthermore, the researchers also pointed out that at the time when a lot of intelligent and tech-savvy people are losing their employment and so increasingly surfing online, some other kind of intelligent people might simply apply the thought of sending out spam and get users to purchase the software to supposedly enhance entertainment on their TV sets.

Hence, it is very important that users first determine the veracity of e-mail links before clicking on them.

Related article: Spammers Continue their Campaigns Successfully

» SPAMfighter News - 6/5/2009