Archive11

Work-from-home scam victims are often recruited by organized cyber criminals through newspaper ads, online employment services, unsolicited emails, and social networking sites advertising work-from-home opportunities.

Once recruited however, rather than becoming an employee of a legitimate business, the consumer is actually a "mule" for cyber criminals who use the consumer’s or other victim's accounts to steal and launder money. In addition, the consumer’s own identity or account may be compromised by the cyber criminals.

Example of a Work-From-Home Scheme:

• An individual applies for a position as a rebate or payments processor through an online job site or through an unsolicited email

• As a new employee, the individual is asked to provide his/her bank account information to his/her employer or to establish a new account using information provided by the employer

• Funds are deposited into the account that the employee is instructed to wire to a third (often international) account. The employee is instructed to deduct a percentage of the wired amount as their commission

• However, rather than processing rebates or processing payments, the individual is actually participating in a criminal activity by laundering stolen funds through his/her own account or a newly established account

Protect Yourself:

• Be wary of work-from-home opportunities. Research the legitimacy of the company through the Better Business Bureau (for US-based companies) or WHOIS/Domain Tools (for international companies) before providing personal or account information and/or agreeing to work for them.

In addition, TrustedSource.org can help you identify companies that may be maliciously sending spam based on the volume of email sent from their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

• Be cautious about any opportunities offering the chance to work from home with very little work or prior experience. Remember: if it looks too good to be true, it usually is

• Never pay for the privilege of working for an employer. Be suspicious of opportunities that require you to pay for things up front, such as supplies and other materials

• Never give your bank account details to anyone unless you know and trust them.

Microsoft Scam

Subject: Critical Microsoft Windows Upgrade Notification

Dear Microsoft Windows User,

You are recieving this notification because the version of Microsoft Windows you are running is affected by a critical security issue.

In order to protect yourself and other users of the Microsoft Windows operating system, it is highly recommended that all customers upgrade Windows as soon as possible.

To do so, please download the KB396658 upgrade from Windows upgrade by clicking here.

We appreciate your cooperation.

Regards, Microsoft Windows Client Support Team

© 2010 Microsoft Corporation

This email is not from Microsoft. It is from scammers. The email recommends that you use a link to upgrade your version of Windows as soon as possible to fix the security issue. If you click on the link you will be taken to a fake website that contains malware.

If you then click on the "Upgrade" or "Update" links on the fake website, it will will download the malware and install it on your computer. Once it is installed, the malware allows scammers access to your computer to steal sensitive personal information and/or download other malware components.

If you receive this type of email, do not follow any links in it or open any attachments.

Microsoft doesn't distribute security updates using unsolicited emails. If you are a Windows user, always install genuine Microsoft security updates as soon as possible, but only from the official Microsoft update website.

Remember, Microsoft will never send you an unsolicited email informing you that you must follow a link to update your computer.

Here are some tips you can use to avoid becoming a victim:

•Do not respond to unsolicited [spam] e-mail

•Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail

•Be cautious of e-mail claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders. Virus scan the attachments if possible

•Avoid filling out forms contained in e-mail messages that ask for personal information

•Always compare the link in the e-mail to the link you are actually directed to and determine if they actually match and will lead you to a legitimate site

•Log on directly to the official Web site for the business identified in the e-mail, instead of "linking" to it from an unsolicited e-mail. If the e-mail appears to be from your bank, credit card issuer, or other company you deal with frequently, your statements or official correspondence from the business will provide the proper contact information

•Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the e-mail to verify if the e-mail is genuine

Amazon Scam

The email message may advise you that you need to 'Verify Your New Email Address' or 'Confirm Cancellation of an Order' or check a 'Shipping Notification'.

The email contains the Amazon logo and has a 'confirmation' link for you to click on.

The emails are a phishing email that are designed to trick you into giving your Amazon ID and password to scammers, by entering them into a fake Amazon web site. Once they have your Amazon ID and password, the scammers go on a spending spree as many users store their credit card details online with Amazon to save entering them each time they make a purchase.

The scammers also try to change your email address once they have logged into your account, so that you won't receive the confirmation of purchase email that Amazon sends out.

Here are some tips you can use to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud:

•Do not respond to unsolicited [spam] e-mail

•Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail

•Be cautious of e-mail claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders. Virus scan the attachments if possible

•Avoid filling out forms contained in e-mail messages that ask for personal information

•Always compare the link in the e-mail to the link you are actually directed to and determine if they actually match and will lead you to a legitimate site

•Log on directly to the official Web site for the business identified in the e-mail, instead of "linking" to it from an unsolicited e-mail. If the e-mail appears to be from your bank, credit card issuer, or other company you deal with frequently, your statements or official correspondence from the business will provide the proper contact information

•Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the e-mail to verify if the e-mail is genuine

AOL Scam

The email states:

Dear Valued AOL Member,

It has come to our attension that your AOL records information are out of date . We were unable to process your most recent payment.

Did you recently change your bank, phone number or credit card ? To ensure that your service will not be interrupted, please update your billing information NOW by visiting the new AOL small business system .

[Link to a fake AOL website]

PLEASE, NOTE THAT FAILURE TO VERIFY YOUR RECORDS WILL RESULT IN ACCOUNT SUSPENSION .

Sincerely, AOL Member Services Team P.S. The link in this massage will be expired within 24 Hours . You have to update your payment information before that time .

The email that appears to come from AOL claims that your AOL account is about to be blocked due to a payment processing problem. The email claims that your billing information appears to be out of date, and you are required to update this information within 24 hours.

You are urged to click a link in the email in order to visit the AOL website and provide the requested information.

The email is a phishing scam that is designed to steal your personal and financial information. If you follow the link in the message you will be taken to a fake website that asks for your information such as your name, credit card number, banking and address details. Any information entered into the form on the fake website can be used to commit credit card fraud and identity theft.

To make the email look authentic, it appears to have genuine AOL graphics, logos and copyright notices. The scammers can easily copy these from the genuine sites so don't be fooled by what appears to be a legitimate website because of the graphics. Very often poor spelling gives the site away, along with an urgency to comply.

Always be cautious of any email that claims that you must urgently provide personal or financial information by following a link in the message, or by opening an attached file.

Do not logon to your online accounts by clicking a link in an unsolicited email. Type the web address in your browser's address bar, and always ensure that the page is a secure (https) site. No legitimate service provider will ask for your login or personal information using an insecure (http rather than https) webpage. If you are using a secure (https) page, a "lock" icon should be displayed in your browser's status bar or in the address field or on the bottom of you page.