Ford Foundation Warns Users of Scam E-mails

Several spam emails using the name, logo and Web address of the Ford Foundation are in circulation over the Internet, warn cyber security experts. Headquartered in New York, the Ford Foundation is an autonomous, non-profit grant-making organization.

As per the modus operandi explained by security experts, these recent spam e-mails invite users to register themselves for overseas conferences, luring them by offering free travel and medical insurance.

Moreover, some previous e-mails have, in fact, informed recipients of a foundation award in the field of personal, academic and business development. To claim the award, the recipients were asked to contact London office besides providing their personal details.

The organization clearly stated that the Ford Foundation or any of its employees is in no way associated with these fake e-mails, websites and the materials accompanying the e-mails. The organization has recommended that no one shall respond to e-mails making such claims as it never award unsolicited and random funds. Even if the foundation needs to ask for information from grantees, it will be carried out by means of a secure Grantee Access website.

It is learnt that phishing is one of the most popular techniques among cybercriminals to obtain usernames, passwords, and credit card details. These fraudulent e-mails purport to be coming from some trusted and legitimate source. Consequently, the victims easily provide their account details to the criminals, who then use these details to steal online funds and compromise systems through malware.

Furthermore, spam e-mails have recently started touching new heights. In a latest case, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), based in Berkeley, Illinois, is asking consumers to be alert of e-mails that claim to be originating from the FDIC. Security experts informed that appearing to be a legitimate FDIC message with subject line "Check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage", the e-mails is in fact a scam.

The users are, thus, recommended to frequently and promptly update their security software. However, it does not necessarily mean that these updates are a guaranteed source of system's security as malware trends are on a continuous rise.

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» SPAMfighter News - 11/7/2009