Online Shoppers, Beware of a New Scam

Beware of a New Scam Aimed at Bargain-Hunters

Trying to buy something cheap is absolutely natural--and online crooks set traps for unwitting bargain-hunters. On April 6 Panda Software warned Internet users of a new particularly brazen scam aimed at stealing confidential information. Several websites offering cheap airline tickets in fact weren't selling anything; the aim was to cheat users out of credit card details.

Of course, these sites have already been identified and disabled, but who knows whether (or better to say when) other ones will appear again, this time offering all kinds of products.

The scam is very simple; the thieves simply wait until some unsuspecting user who is searching for airline ticket offers, finds their site offering dirt-cheap airline tickets. Really pleased with himself and looking forward to the trip, the user fills in the form, entering his credit card number, expiry date and verification value (CVV).

As soon as these details have been entered, an error page appears; it tells the user that the transaction has been unsuccessful, and offers instructions on how to pay for the ticket by postal money order. So the user may well be fooled twice. He loses his credit card details, putting them right into the hands of cyber-crooks, and then loses money, if decides to buy the ticket by money order.

Luis Corrons, the director of PandaLabs, comments on this scam: "This kind of online fraud differs from those witnessed previously. The malicious user does not contact the person interested in buying the product, but it is actually the buyer, in searching for the best prices online, who goes to the fraudulent web page. This creates a false sense of security that can lead users to proceed with the transaction".

This makes such a scam very dangerous. It is the user who finds the "bargain"; no spam or pop-up ad is involved-- actually, nobody either forces or tries to persuade the user to buy something. This tactic is bound to be "effective", if such a word is appropriate here. That is why it is extremely likely that there will be other websites and other scams using the same pattern.

Too Cheap to be a Bargain? You'd Better Steer Clear

How to avoid this kind of fraud? "Users are best advised to treat 'bargains' with suspicion, and only make online purchases from trusted sites. In any event, if in doubt, it is a good idea to search for information about the website in question on the Internet. Users should be able to find opinions and experiences of other users who have used the same service," says Luis Corrons.

That's all users can do so far -- to steer clear of suspicious bargains and to check the firm one is going to buy from. Of course, the authorities are informed; these cybercriminals will be tracked, caught and sent to jail.

But this entire story gives a strong impression that cybercrooks are becoming more and more shameless. People get cheated when they expect it the least -- just remember bogus appeals to make donations for tsunami victims.

Such criminals are impudently taking advantage over majority of people -- over those who remember the Golden rule and expect others to behave the same way. That is why everybody who either falls the victim of this --or any other--scam, or learns about such incidents, should make this information public. This will be a small contribution that may help to curb growing cybercrime.

Alexandra Gamanenko currently works at Raytown Corporation, LLC -- an independent software developing company that provides various solutions for information security.

Learn more -- visit the company's website http://www.anti-keyloggers.com

---

Web Conferencing Readers - So What Do We Do with the PAYPAL SPAMMER

From: "Paypal Security" Subject: New Security Requirements Date: Tue, 26... Read More

What Can Be Done About Spyware And Adware

Having a good Spyware eliminator on your computer is vital... Read More

5 Simple Steps to Protect your Digital Downloads

A couple of days ago, I was searching for a... Read More

Criminals are Fishing For Your Identity

What is Phishing? In a typical Phishing attack, a criminal... Read More

SPYWARE - Whos Watching Who?

I am in the midst of Oscar Wilde's The Picture... Read More

3 Things You Must Know About Spyware

1)Spyware is on your system. Like it or not, statistically... Read More

Phishing-Based Scams: A Couple of New Ones

Phishing in its "classic" variant is relatively well-known. Actually, 43.4... Read More

Dont Fall Victim to Internet Fraud-10 Tips for Safer Surfing

The Internet offers a global marketplace for consumers and businesses.... Read More

Eliminate Adware and Spyware

Everyone should eliminate spyware and adware from your hard drive... Read More

The Move to a New Anti-Virus Model

This is the second in a series of articles highlighting... Read More

Internet Privacy

Over the past few years as the internet has become... Read More

Virus Prevention 101

Blaster, Welchia, Sobig, W32, Backdoor, Trojan, Melissa, Klez, Worm, Loveletter,... Read More

Backup and Save your business!

There you are busily typing away on your PC or... Read More

Road Warrior At Risk: The Dangers Of Ad-Hoc Wireless Networking

Airport Menace: The Wireless Peeping Tom As a network... Read More

Firewall Protection - Does Your Firewall Do This?

The first thing people think about when defending their computers... Read More

Hacking the Body Via PDA Wireless Device

First I would like to stress I am condoning the... Read More

The Important Steps To Protect Your Kids on the Internet

Internet is the ocean of knowledge. In this ocean you... Read More

How to Protect Yourself from Viruses, Spyware, Adware, and Other Nuisances

Spyware/adware is a new major concern for PC users everywhere.... Read More

Secrets On Security: A Gentle Introduction To Cryptography

Let us take the example of scrambling an egg. First,... Read More

Web and Computer Security

Well, if that would have been said to me by... Read More

Spyware is Not Like a Nosy Neighbor

Remember the television show about the nosy neighbor Mrs. Kravitz... Read More

Email Hoaxes, Urban Legends, Scams, Spams, And Other CyberJunk

The trash folder in my main inbox hit 4000 today.... Read More

Be Aware of Phishing Scams!

If you use emails actively in your communication, you must... Read More

Dialing Up a Scam: Avoiding the Auto-Dialer Virus

For many, the daily walk to the mailbox evokes mixed... Read More

Internet/Network Security

Abstract Homogeneous symmetries and congestion control have garnered limited interest... Read More

Computer Security

What is computer security? Computer security is the process of... Read More

Pharming - Another New Scam

Pharming is one of the latest online scams and rapidly... Read More

Protecting Your Children On The Internet

If you are a parent, as am I, I think... Read More

Types Of Computer Infections

Computer infections can be broken up into 4 main categories... Read More

How to Know Whether an Email is a Fake or Not

A few nights ago I received an email from "2CO"... Read More

Social Engineering - The Real E-Terrorism?

One evening, during the graveyard shift, an AOL technical support... Read More

Data Security; Are Your Company Assets Really Secure?

Is your data secure? Think again. Securing data is unlike... Read More

Secure Your PC From Hackers, Viruses, and Trojans

Viruses, Trojans and Spyware: Protecting yourself.No user on the internet... Read More