by Tony Bradley (PC World (US online))
With Valentine's Day around the corner, cyber criminals are ramping up
spam, phishing, and other attacks targeting the lover's holiday.
There are only five days to Valentine's Day. Those
of you who are shocked by that revelation are prime targets for
Valentine's Day related spam and phishing attacks as hackers hope to
catch you with your guard down for this day of romance.
Messages targeting Valentine's Day are expected to quadruple globally in the coming days -- in part because cyber criminals are adept
at targeting holidays and current events as bait for attacks. An offer
for a dozen roses for $5 might get some traction any time of the year,
but with the clock quickly counting down to Valentine's Day it has much
higher odds of duping frantic lovers in search of a last minute gift.
A blog post from McAfee
warns, "Many consumers look for a little romance on Valentine's Day,
whether it is a thoughtful gift, a romantic getaway, or a heartfelt
e-card, but if you're looking for these things online, beware."
McAfee points out a number of types of Valentine's Day themed threats you should be aware of:
Phishing Scams
Attackers
will send out spam promoting bargains for flowers, romantic dinners,
jewelry, or other Valentine's Day gift related themes. Clicking on the
offer might take you to a malicious site
that could compromise a vulnerable PC, or it could take you to a site
that looks legitimate, and asks for your credit card, and other personal
information to "complete the order".
Malicious eCards
Any
holiday that traditionally involves giving and receiving cards is a
prime target for cyber criminals. Everyone loves to receive a
personalized greeting card -- especially if it seems to be from someone
that may be romantically interested.
Seriously, though, what are the odds that someone you don't know decided to send you an ecard for Valentine's Day out of the blue? Right.
Mr. (or Mrs.) Wrong
Another
scam to watch out for are fake profiles on online dating sites. Cyber
criminals create online dating profiles designed to be as attractive as
possible to lure unsuspecting love seekers. The idea is to make
connections, and establish trust as a means to further criminal
activity.
McAfee outlines some additional
threats to watch out for in its blog post. To steer clear of Valentine's
Day cyber threats, follow the basic principles of online common sense.
Don't open emails or file attachments, or click on links from people or
sources you are not familiar with -- and even if you do know the
sender, think twice about whether that person would really send you a
Valentine's Day email.
Another basic rule is
that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don't fall for
unbelievable last minute Valentine's Day gift ideas no matter how
desperate you are for a gift.
Protect your wallet, your identity, and your heart by avoiding Valentine's Day cyber scams.
Source Article: http://goo.gl/NEVuU
