BBB Cautions About Fresh Scam Associated With 2012 Olympics

BBB (Better Business Bureau) has cautioned Internet users that e-mails, which tell recipients that they're winners of the 2012 London Olympic tickets, are actually a scam.

Says Tom Bartholomy President of BBB, this e-mail campaign represents still one more phishing scam. Wbtv.com published this on September 10, 2010.

Bartholomy further cautioned that the scammers were simply employing new bait so they could deceive end-users into providing personal information in order that their identity could be snatched.

Reportedly, the fraudulent messages utilize the logo of U.K. National Lottery to give them an appearance of legitimacy. They inform recipients that the Lottery Company selected their e-mails for its list of ten fortunate winners.

Subsequently, the messages direct recipients that they must dial an international phone number, provide the number of their lottery confirmation, and know everything regarding their winnings in detail. They also direct recipients that they must e-mail their address, name as well as birth date.

Explain the security researchers that actually the real 2012 Olympic tickets are to be distributed via the National Lottery as also certain ticket lottery is planned to be used for their sale. Thus, this scam appears quite like the real system for the distribution of tickets, as it deceptively makes those interested in the games to believe that it's genuine as well as makes them click web-links or call the phone number inside the e-mail.

Unfortunately, all large-scale events open opportunities for scammers and in the current instance the fraudsters are disseminating fake campaigns associated with the 2012 Olympics, scheduled for stage in London.

However, BBB advisory committee stated that generally, in case anyone hadn't participated in a competition, he wouldn't have been a prize-winner; therefore he required handling the above kind of e-mails very carefully. Wallet Pop published this on September 10, 2010.

Moreover, it has been recommended that users must not hit on web-links inside e-mail that come from strangers. They mustn't also give away their private information online or via the phone to anyone unknown. Finally, it's important that users ensure they have an anti-virus program that's up-to-date since fresh scams get devised each day.

Related article: BBA Outlines Steps To Ward Off Online Fraud

» SPAMfighter News - 9/21/2010