Auctionbytes-NewsFlash, Number 433 - November 27, 2002 - ISSN 1539-5065
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New Twist Added to Hoax Emails as Identity Theft Rises
By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes.com
Reading AuctionBytes: New Twist Added to Hoax Emails as Identity Theft Rises
Cyber crooks continue to bombard auction users with hoax emails, and they are getting more sophisticated in their attempts. Hoax emails are an attempt to get recipients to reveal their credit card and banking information so the senders can plunder those accounts. The level of activity is on the rise, and new twists are being added to help fool unwitting victims.
Typically hoax emails tell recipients to log onto a Web site and "update" their account information. The URLs in the emails are disguised through HTML formatting to look like legitimate sites, but are in fact "spoof" sites. Crooks create the spoof sites by registering a domain name using a stolen credit card. Some register domains that have company names followed by a hyphen and the word "update" or "verification" to give the sites a feeling of legitimacy.
The emails may tell recipients that the account needs updating to increase security, because some members' information was lost due to a technical problem, or because of a security breach. Users who fall for the scam and go to the spoof sites may enter credit card and bank account information, social security numbers and more.
In a new twist, emails tell people they have violated the site's policy and will be removed if they do not update their information. An eBay user told AuctionBytes he received an email informing him that he was being investigated for "shill bidding" on the auction site and directed him to an eBay look-alike site to enter his account information.
The best way to avoid falling for a hoax email is to avoid clicking on a hyperlinked URL in any email you receive. Emails threatening to remove recipients from a site can send them into a panic, but always take your time and think about what you are doing. If you have doubts, send the email to the company asking if it is legitimate.
Also, be aware that hoax emails are not isolated to any one company. While users of PayPal and eBay are frequent targets, users of Western Union, AOL and other Internet Service Providers have also been hit. Other likely targets include Amazon and other e-commerce and online-payment services.
To learn more about fraud and identity theft, visit http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft
and http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/pages/fraud .
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