CAFC Cautions Internet Users in Canada about Scareware Scam

According to a warning by CAFC (Canadian Anti-Fraud Center), e-mails distributing scareware i.e. fake anti-virus software are presently hitting Internauts' inboxes within Canada, published upi.com in news on April 20, 2012.

Actually, an Internet-user from Canada named Evan Larter filed a complaint with the Center regarding one such e-mail. According to him, when he was browsing the Web like always, he saw the scareware message emerge onscreen, thus reported huffingtonpost.ca in news on April 20, 2012.

Larter continued that the pop-up looked like a Royal Canadian Mount Police (RCMP) message and appeared legitimate stating that Larter could not access anything on his computer anymore. It asked him to submit a massive payment for unlocking his PC. Moreover, the message appeared dubious, while hitting on its web-link led to nowhere, Larter described.

He added that on perusing the message he found that it didn't contain any RCMP logo like the 'crown' or other identification like a bison's head on it.

Sergeant Andrew Blackadar of RCMP said that during the few weeks gone by, occasionally residents got pop-up messages asserting they were from the Royal Canadian Mount Police, the Canadian federal government alternatively, the Security Intelligence Service of Canada. The messages outlined that the user's PC was somehow engaged in child porn activity, he described. Itbusiness.ca published this in news on April 19, 2012.

Blackadar further described that the pop-up attempted at making the potential victim submit a huge $250 payment via Ukash for eliminating the porn web-links. But, if anyone indeed followed the web-link, he would find his PC wholly blocked, even unable to restart it, he noted.

As for RCMP overall, it stated that anybody getting the pop-up must instantly shutdown his PC, adding that the person must maintain his anti-virus application always updated followed with running pop-up filters that were enabled.

Conclusively, it's because of the above-mentioned kinds of advanced scareware campaigns that there's a rise in malware online. Further, the kind of incident isn't anything new. During November 2011, an alert on Ukash's website was for a same type of scam, which aimed attack on the UK residents, sources disclosed.

Related article: Cops to Serve Prison for Hacking Computers & Tapping Phone Lines

» SPAMfighter News - 4/26/2012