The FBI has this holiday-time warning: 'Tis the season to be wary, especially when opening those particularly alluring offers popping up in e-mail in-boxes.
Ken Porter, acting agent in charge of the FBI's Salt Lake City Office, said Tuesday that whether these unsolicited messages pose as prize announcements, banking correspondence or purport to offer legal services, they have this in common: They seek money or your personal information.
People who unknowingly comply with the scams end up losing hundreds of dollars for so-called processing fees to collect lottery or sweepstakes winnings, or provide cyber-criminals with sensitive data such as bank account, credit card and Social Security numbers to clear up nonexistent problems with accounts.
In the latter case, such information has often left victims on the hook owing thousands of dollars in bogus charges, along with credit rating headaches. Another danger in opening such e-mails, or downloading provided links, is that virus or malware programs can be installed on the victims' computers.
In recent years, such scams have become increasingly sophisticated, spoofing not only banks and other corporations official logos, but even government agencies -- among them the FBI itself.
For example, the agency learned recently of an e-mail claiming its recipient was a victim of fraud, and seeking personal information to clear up the case.
Of course, neither the FBI nor any other governmental agency conducts official business by unsolicited e-mails, Porter stressed.
"Hit delete," he advised those who receive such e-mails. "Don't get fooled into sending money or giving away your personal information."
The holidays are special targeting seasons for scammers, warned Supervisory Special Agent Petra Butler-Castleberry, who runs the FBI's cyber-crimes division.
"We may be more willing to let our guard down during this time of year because we are in the holiday spirit. Unfortunately, you should never let your guard down," Butler-Castleberry said.
For further information about such scams and how to avoid them, the FBI suggests you visit the IC3.gov site at http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx. For information on how to report Internet-based crimes, visit FBI.gov at http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm.
Here's a list of the dozen most-common cyberscams perpetrated during the holidays, according to McAfee Labs, makers of the McAfee computer security software suites:
Phishing schemes » Playing off recipients' Christmas-time impulses, e-mails are sent that appear to be from legitimate charities. They actually lead victims to Web sites that not only steal donations, but glean credit card data and identities.
Fake invoices » Bogus invoices and delivery notifications appearing to be from Federal Express, UPS or the U.S. Customs Service arrive, seeking credit card details and installing malware on recipients' computers.
A scammer wants to be your friend » These messages look like real New Friend Requests from social networking sites, but clicking on these e-mails could install malware on computers that steals your personal information.
E-cards » A holiday e-card arrives promoting some socially - -- or environmentally-conscious cause. They can spoof such corporations as Hallmark, McDonald's or Coca-Cola. The attachments, however, could lead you into trouble.
You've won a chance to buy expensive, brand-name jewelry » You could end up paying a much higher price when clicking on such deals installs data-mining software on your PC.
Practice safe shopping. Cyber-thieves are watching » Using public Wi-Fi hot spots, or from a public computer with an open network connection is inviting trouble. Hackers routinely spy on users in such scenarios.
Risky holiday searches » One favorite scheme is to create Web sites specific to the season offering ring tones, screensavers, PC wallpaper and Christmas carol lyrics. However, downloading such offerings poses the risk of unknowingly installing spyware, adware or malware on your computer.
Job-related scams » Risks associated with these schemes are particularly pronounced this year, with unemployment topping 10 percent. Promises of high-paying jobs or work-from-home opportunities ensnare the unaware into paying so-called setup fees. Not only does the victim lose money, but personal information also is compromised.
Auction site fraud » Scammers often lurk on auction sites offering deals for products that are too good to be true. Money is transferred but the items are never delivered.
Purloined passwords » By tricking victims into logging on to bogus sites or filling out fake forms, thieves gain access to private passwords. A twist on this scheme is offering downloads of games or programs that secretly install malware on computers that record passwords for banking and credit card accounts.
E-mail banking scams » Tricking victims into revealing bank account details through official-looking e-mails warning of accounts due to be suspended or cancelled allows cyber-thieves to harvest information that often then is sold to criminals on the Internet black market.
Pay up. We've got your files » In some cases, once personal identities and financial data are captured, hackers may encrypt them -- in effect holding the information hostage until the victim makes payment.
Carefully compare the purported link in the e-mail with the link where you are actually directed to make sure they match.
You can also log on directly to the official Web site of the business identified in the e-mail instead of linking to it from the e-mail. Better yet, contact the business by its telephone number -- as listed on your billing statements or official correspondence -- to verify the e-mail's claims.
Avoid being scammed online:
Don't respond to unsolicited e-mail.
Don't click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail.
Don't open e-mail containing attached pictures or documents from senders you do not know. At the very least, run the attachments through your virus scanner before opening.
Don't fill out forms contained within e-mails seeking personal information -- period.
