Malware instead of gifts for Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day has always been celebrated with gifts for moms worldwide. However, BitDefender is warning consumers that cyber crooks are taking advantage of this special day by tricking users with on-line scams.
“Shopping online is a great way to browse for the perfect gift without leaving the comfort of your home,” said Catalin Cosoi, Head of the BitDefender Online Threats Lab. “However, it’s essential that users are aware of the potential dangers that cybercriminals pose. Cybercriminals know people shop on-line all the time, which is why they are leveraging this information to try and trick users with various on-line scams. The more educated a computer user is about these risks, the safer they will be when it comes to making a purchase.”
In order to keep your computer and all of your personal information safe BitDefender is offering consumers the following tips:
Watch out for phishing attacks. Many well-known online retailers are becoming the target of phishing attacks, misleading buyers into thinking they are purchasing an online gift from a particular merchant, when they are actually on a malicious page.
In these types of phishing scams, cybercriminals are looking to gain access to a user’s credit card credentials. It’s extremely important for consumers to be aware of the sites they visit. When shopping online for mom, make sure the connection to the website is an “https”. While this doesn’t guarantee the site is 100% safe, in most cases it will be.
Don’t be fooled by fake shops. Cybercriminals know people often shop online during the holidays. To leverage this knowledge, they often create fake shops to trick consumers. These online locations advertise fictitious products, and when purchased, they take a consumer’s money without ever delivering the purchased item.
If you can’t tell an online shop from a trustworthy source, research the site before using its services or only do business with stores you have shopped at in the past.
Only open emails from trusted sources. Spammers try to trick users into accessing sites that advertise knock-off jewelry, accessories and pills. They also aim to trick users into clicking links malicious sites.
These sites deploy e-threats such as keylogger attacks, backdoor Trojans and other exploitable threats that steal private information from the user.
Be careful when opening greeting cards. Electronic greeting cards are the perfect, green way to show people that you care about them. However, increasingly, malware-bundled greeting cards are being sent by spammers to trick unsuspecting users.
Spyeye, once known as Zbot or the notorious Koobface, use many tactics to become more widespread in order to exploit people for their money. It’s essential to keep an eye out for these malicious e-cards – what might look like a nice e-card in your inbox could actually be malware.
Check URLs when shopping via a mobile device. When shopping for gifts using a smartphone, make sure you check the whole URL of the site.
Since cyber-crooks know that the small display of the smartphones might hinder the user from seeing the entire URL of the requested webpage, they set up spoofed Web pages resembling these shops or other commercial services and wait for a user to enter their credit card details. While it might take more time, type in the entire URL manually and check if the website’s SSL certificate is in place.