Hi!
I got this from a computer tech group. There is a link in it that takes you
to the complete article.
Sharon
Online scams emerge in Katrina's wake
Published: September 1, 2005, 12:04 PM PDT
By Dawn Kawamoto
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Hurricane Katrina has spawned more than misery and destruction--a new wave
of scam e-mails and Web sites are exploiting the tragedy.
Phony Web sites and e-mails, purporting to offer help to hurricane victims
or provide more news on the destruction, are making their rounds on the
Internet, security experts said Thursday.
One spam campaign that's circulating offers breaking news reports but tricks
people into clicking a link that takes them to a bogus Web site, according
to security firm Sophos. The site attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in
Internet Explorer and install malicious code, including the Troj/Cgab-A
Trojan horse, on a victim's system Sophos said.
Some of these e-mails carry subject headers such as "re: g8 Tropical storm
flooded New Orleans" and "re: q1 Katrina killed as many as 80 people."
"If users click on the link contained inside the e-mail, they will be taken
to a malicious Web site which will try and infect their computer," Graham
Cluely, senior technology consultant for Sophos, said in a statement. "Once
infected, the computer is under the control of remote criminal hackers who
can use it to spy, steal or cause disruption."
Other bogus e-mails are circulating that ask people to aid hurricane victims
and their families by clicking on a PayPal button to make a donation, said
Johannes Ullrich, chief research officer for the Sans Institute.
"They're using PayPal because it allows them to be more anonymous. But if
you reply and ask them for their address to mail the check, they don't
respond," Ullrich said, noting that in many cases it is difficult to
ascertain whether the e-mail is legitimate.
He advised people to ask the organization for its nonprofit tax ID before
making a donation. That ID number can be checked against the database housed
by the Internal Revenue Service. Consumers should also review the list of
reputable nonprofit agencies posted on the Federal Emergency Management
Agency Web site, he said.
Complete article at:
http://news.com.com/Online+scams+emerge+in+Katrinas+wake/2100-7349-5845695.html
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