September 14, 2009
Fraudulent Email Scam
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Fraudulent Email Scam
We have recently received information indicating cyber criminals are once again attempting to send fraudulent e-mails to unsuspecting recipients stating that someone has filed a complaint against them or their company with the Department of Justice or another organization such as the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration, or the Better Business Bureau.The e-mails are intended to appear as legitimate messages from the above departments, and they address you by name, and other personal information may be contained within the e-mail as well.
Consistent with previous attempts, the scam will likely be an effort to steal your Personally Identifiable Information. The nature of these types of scams is to create a sense of urgency for you to provide a response through clicking on a hyperlink, opening an attachment, or initiating a telephone call.
It has been reported to us that this e-mail refers to a complaint that is in the form of an attachment, which actually contains virus software designed to steal passwords from you.
The virus is hidden in a screensaver file wherein most anti-virus programs are unable to detect its malicious intent. Once downloaded, the virus is designed to monitor your username and password logins, and record your activity, as well as other password-type information, entered on your now compromised machine.
Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender. Do not open any unsolicited e-mail and do not click on any links provided.
If you are a victim of an online scheme, please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov.
Remember - always watch for scams!
Steve