ITS Spots Phishing Scams Related to Flood

With Nashville (Tennessee, USA) submerged under flood recently, ITS (Information Technology Systems) has spotted a rise in phishing assaults related to this event. According to it (ITS), the phishing assaults are mostly aimed at flood victims of Nashville and Vanderbilt. Sitemason.vanderbilt.edu reported this on May 6, 2010.

Security experts explained that phishing involves enticing innocent Internet users so that they would visit fraudulent websites where they would then be ripped off their private details. To accomplish this, users are sent e-mails, which pose as messages from authentic companies while persuading them to reveal their passwords, financial, and other personal details. Alternatively, the e-mails could also plant a virus on the victims' PCs or networks.

Thus, to remain safe from getting scammed, ITS suggests the general public that has been enormously struck with the floods that they mustn't reply to any uninvited electronic mail that offers assistance or service related to the floods or asks for their personal information.

In addition, it also suggests people who wish to help flood victims, not to follow any web-link, video or photo provided in these uninvited messages since they could plant malware like viruses that could infect the their PCs.

Moreover, in case any e-mail user has a question(s) pertaining to their Internet safety, he may get in touch with the technology support official in his locality or any of the helpdesk officials of Vanderbilt IT via hotline numbers of the system.

Furthermore, in case any user suspects an external tampering with his account, he should best shut it down as soon as possible and should report the incident to the law enforcement agency.

To conclude, it is hardly astonishing that cybercriminals are exploiting this natural calamity to make some fast bucks. For example, when the recent volcano in Iceland erupted in April 2010, and its ash spread far and wide, stranding innumerable travelers worldwide at airports, online criminals quickly launched their scams using the much known "friend in need" ruse that Security Company ESET detected. They also unleashed fake websites pledging photos of the disaster, but the sites actually littered users' PCs with viruses.

» SPAMfighter News - 5/18/2010