Latest phishing alerts [Summer 2010]

As you all know, phishing is a computer term that referred to a type of crime falls within the scope of cyber scams. To make phishing using a type of social engineering where the scammer tries to get confidential information of fraudulent users (such as a password or account information). The scammer usually contacted through mass emails where it expects at least a percentage of those receiving the communication stung in the deceit, as the sender pretends to be a trusted person or business in an apparently official electronic communication, or even using also called phone. Usually in the email urges the user to give some data, or enter a contest or to check the security of your account, through a form on a website bait that simulates the design of the official to that supplants, in fact pages phishing sites only official function forms are usually responsible for collecting the data.

This type of cyber attacks usually users do not like spam, one way to stop it completely, despite the social training, common sense and technology filters all email services or antivirus protection systems with navigation safe. So it is good to be alert to the past warnings of phishing being received in recent months.

Email phishing

impersonating bank BBVA

For those who use Gmail, but also serves to any internet email service irrespective of use, Google has enabled a page with information to recognize and mark an email as phishing. The advice is based on checking the email address of the sender of the message and if the domain from which the email has authenticated. This can be seen by clicking on “show details” found in the upper right corner of mail and make sure the domain you see along the lines “sent by” and “signed” corresponds to the e-mail address sender.

A common feature of Phishing is redirect the user to a page different than supplants, is necessary before clicking on links or linked images, ensure that the domain of the URL of the page in question is correct and see images or links that appear to verify that you referred to the appropriate pages within the site. Always look for the closed padlock icon in the status bar at the bottom of the browser window when providing personal information, including your password. Check the message headers. The ‘From:’ can be easily manipulated to show a false sender name.

You can contact the organization that appears to be the message but do not use the reply address of the message, as it could be counterfeit. Instead, visit the official website of the company in question and look for a different contact address. If you provide your Google account or personal information following a forgery or phishing message, you must act quickly. Send a copy of the header and full text of the message to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov. If you typed the numbers of your credit card or bank account, contact your bank to block the card and / or account. If you think you are a victim of identity theft, contact local police.

In addition to the bank phishing to impersonate the identity of BBVA, Caja Madrid is also, Safety Spain and possibly many other banks in other nations. In general, the titles and contents of these emails usually try either of security advisories which requests the password or the password operating bank account (something they do not get completely or real support of banks to deal with clients) or is alleged promotion notices. These are some catches of recent phishing emails like this:

Email phishing

impersonating bank Caja Madrid

Last year, for the same dates, were warned of a phishing attempt where impersonate Mc Donald’s, the popular fast food chain where an email requesting data to users for a survey with a financial compensation 50 euros. The corporate website itself Mc Donald’s warned that it was phishing and lamenting the damage to the image of the company and the Internet, giving precautionary advice against such fraud. The following image is one of these emails, the month of July:

Email phishing

impersonating Mc Donald’s

Another of the most watched in Phishing and unfortunately still the case this summer are the alerts that supplant PayPal accounts, one of the largest electronic payment services used, which in this case the email alert the user with a negative balance that is, you have to give your account data because just being uncovered.

Email

impersonating phishing Paypal

As recommended in these cases, caution before you respond or give any personal and private information to an email or communication is preferable to view the sender information and remember that no agency calls on all private data users or passwords complete, nor usually sends a format that requires urgent or uses fear to deceive the surfer.