Internet security firm says frauds are using the upcoming World Cup to trap unsuspecting users.
“To create international awareness of the 2010 FIFA world cup, FIFA has organised the first ever world cup online awareness draw by contacting Microsoft directly to provide email contacts of leading internet using countries that are members of the FIFA. Among the email address that was provided, your email address came out as one of the four lucky winning email addresses of Four Million Dollars. Contact…”
If you get any email this like, be careful. Cyber crooks are now using the name of the upcoming international football tournament, the FIFA World Cup, to target people across the world.
According to a report by Trend Micro Laboratories, a leading internet content security firm in the country, cyber criminals are trying to cheat a large number of internet users through emails with ‘FIFA World Cup’ in the subject line.
Such emails have been propagating on a very large scale throughout the Indian cyber space for the past few months, as the FIFA fever is fast spreading across the world, the report says, adding that soccer fans could easily fall prey to such mails.
The email informs the recipients that they have won a lucky draw, and then asks them to send in their personal details and pay a processing fee to get the prize.
The report points out that when unsuspecting users follow the link, backdoor Trojans get installed in their computers, which could give a complete control of their systems to the host from where the email is generating.
Trend Micro Laboratories was also alerted about another spam mail carrying a pdf file attachment which was found to contain details about the lottery, which the mail claims that the recipient has won.
Amit Nath, country manager, Trend Micro (India), said: “The only precautionary measure one could take is to not follow the links provided in such emails which come from unknown senders who have impersonated the names or email IDs very similar to the real ones. Also, one should know that no one would get any money through such online lotteries. In fact, they might lose money to the mafia involved in such activities.”
In the past, the cyber mafia has similarly targeted internet users during major sports events such as the Beijing Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and the Indian Premier League.
Also, emails promising free tours and tickets to the FIFA world cup are being propagated in the cyber space.
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