Maldives and F1 Racing, Spammers’ Hot Topics

According to Symantec, spammers reportedly are using the latest exciting Maldives and the Formula 1 motor-racing events as subjects in their e-mail campaigns.

Samir Patel, researcher at Symantec stated that spammers always found sporting events very popular, with Formula 1, which was a game involving action, thrill and speed as no different. Infosecurity-magazine.com published this on November 14, 2011.

Patel stated that earlier spam mails were observed as varying from counterfeit game tickets to spoofed e-mails that related to nearly all important sports, and added that the Abu Dhabi held F1 Grand Prix was also used in similar e-mail scams.

Consequently, spammers were dispatching messages, which invited recipients to one canapé reception, private table, open bar, champagne along with other luxury items at the spot. The appealing environment having a "limited availability for the tickets" label served as a perfect trap incase enthusiasts of F1 became convinced, Patel elaborated. Symantec.com published this on November 11, 2011.

Meanwhile, Mathew Maniyara fellow researcher stated that spammers were seemingly canvassing fake software too known as the 'Maldavian App.' Infosecurity-magazine.com published this.

The above e-mail attack, said Maniyara rather than being a spam assault was one phishing scam in which the phishing website got its hosting service from a non-chargeable domain for web-hosting. Notably, the actual website didn't offer the software, he said in addition.

Incidentally, the spoofed website had one image having the software's details as well as contained an online form where the site visitors required feeding in their login credentials. One tri-colored ribbon, the colors same as those of Maldive's flag, was presented in the image highlighted with a T-shirt showing the Maldivian flag along with a widely visited social-networking website logo. The software had one major description, which boasted that when Web-surfers would log in, they'd get interesting news regarding Maldives.

Nevertheless, when users entered their login credentials, they got diverted onto a website, which showed a message telling the user just that 'he was connected.'

Maniyara concluded that incase an end-user became victimized with the phishing website scammers would effectively steal his secret login details and possibly commit ID-theft. Symantec.com reported this.

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» SPAMfighter News - 11/18/2011