Cyber-Criminals Exploiting Users with Swine Flu Spam

In accordance with reports from ComputerWorld published on October 28, 2009, Internet crooks are exploiting people's worries regarding personal healthcare, by distributing spam mails overwhelmingly.

The name "swine flu" had barely been articulated last spring when malware writers and spammers, in an attempt to exploit general curiosity and fears regarding the virus, started developing tricky methods to deceive end-users with craftily captioned e-mails and fraudulent online sites.

Actually, in April 2009, just after some days of officials' discussion over the virus, formally called H1N1, security researchers reported that spammers' malicious e-mails regarding the virus by then had contributed a 4% share to the total volume of junk e-mails.

Now after over six months, H1N1 has indeed infected numerous people worldwide. Similarly, there been a large number of the virus-related online scams from cyber-criminals, devised to contaminate PCs, capture payment card details or trade fake products.

Also, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has issued an alert against criminal groups that appear to be exploiting the swine flu epidemic through the sale of low-quality or phony anti-viral vaccines or medications online.

Consequently, with the fake H1N1 flu remedies getting promoted in large numbers, online medicine authorities in Europe are getting more and more alarmed. The news arrives while MEPs prepare for discussing novel rules on fake medications.

Moreover, the fraud unit of The US Food and Drug Administration stated that fresh fake items started appearing last spring to the count of 10/day. Although the number dipped during the summer months, it has since gone up.

Further, according to reports, earlier during 2009, Tamiflu surpassed Viagra and became the most advertised drug in spam messages, coining the term 'Spamiflu.'

In the meantime, the researchers have said that the H1N1 flu spam can be safely added to the Nigerian 419 scam category, as by answering those e-mails, or alternatively placing online orders for medicines via unauthorized and/or uncontrolled websites, end-users simply endanger themselves - both money-wise and health-wise.

Additionally, McAfeeLabs' spam report for October 2009 states that 70% of the worldwide junk e-mails are currently "Canadian" pharmaceutical spam, which exploit apprehensions about Swine Flu as well as soaring prices of drugs and medicare.

Related article: Cyber Child abuser Sentenced To Imprisonment

» SPAMfighter News - 11/9/2009