PM's from Spammers

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 7:54 pm

Nobody ever sends me spammy/scammy/phishy PMs on Eater. Crying or Very sad

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

^^^ They're working off the first page of the member list. Want me to send you one? Laughing

Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 8:21 pm

^^ Check your inbox. Very Happy

(Edit: Beaten to it by Ima)

Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 8:51 pm

^^ Well, receiving practically instantaneous Valentine's Day validation from both Ima and Bankster warms my heart.
I'm now retreating into my invisible airplane while you-all targeted members and mods deal with the real villains trying to bedevil our community.

edited to add: Bankster actually sent me a "massage" via PM, and I now have a new PM "o" message from Fartina. ooooooooooooooooo.
Looks like I've accidentally created my own "catcher account." LOL_sign

Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 3:15 pm

Please let me know if this continues. I put in a challenge question yesterday that should stop automated bots from registering.

Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 4:09 pm

I haven't had anything for 2 days now. Thanks Rover! Very Happy

Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 6:12 pm

A Skinner wrote:

I haven't had anything for 2 days now. Thanks Rover! Very Happy

Me too - but strangely, I feel unloved........ Crying or Very sad

Not quite a Newb Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 24

Im not sure I understand whats going on here,( I am new )

Are these spammers sending us links to viruses to click on to hopefully give us viruses in pm's?

Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 3:13 pm

They were sending out links to what I assume was a virus pretending to be an antivirus program (site is down now, but URL looks like classic fake antivirus site).

Basically, it tells you you have viruses, then offers to "clean" them by installing a real virus which tries to get you to pay them for the "full version" which "removes" the viruses you didn't have in the first place. One of my least favorite scams.

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

Rover, in Feb wrote:

Please let me know if this continues. I put in a challenge question yesterday that should stop automated bots from registering.

Thankfully, Rover was able to put a stop to them registering. We've not had any recent reports so it shouldn't be an issue. If you do receive any PM's here that are suspicious, please notify a moderator.

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 12:09 am

So, there'll be a text to log on???

Where do I study? How can I know what my score is? I have really bad test anxiety...

J/K I think that is a great addition. You all are so on task here, thank you all!

419Eater is my life Joined: 04 Jul 2009 Posts: 277

foo123 wrote:

Basically, it tells you you have viruses, then offers to "clean" them by installing a real virus which tries to get you to pay them for the "full version" which "removes" the viruses you didn't have in the first place. One of my least favorite scams.

If only there were a way to bait the virus scammers...

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:57 am

I'm starting to get paranoid now i have read this
Smile

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:11 am

^^ It's called scareware, and quite profitable if done right. Most of the professional fake virus scanners are made in Russia and the US. The usual rule applies - don't install anything from untrusted sources, keep your browser and plug-ins patched and use an up-to-date virus scanner. Then you should be pretty safe.

Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 9:55 pm

Quote:

Federal prosecutors have accused three men of running an operation that used fraudulent ads to dupe internet users around the world into buying more than $100m worth of bogus anti-virus software.

The defendants operated companies including Innovative Marketing and Byte Hosting Internet Services, which perpetuated an elaborate scheme that tricked internet publishers into posting malware-laced ads on their websites, according to an indictment filed Wednesday. The banners allegedly presented messages falsely claiming visitors' computers contained dangerous malware and other defects that could be fixed by purchasing software that cost from $30 to $70.

The scheme often tricked users into purchasing multiple sham products, which were sold under names including Malware Alarm, Antivirus 2008 and VirusRemover 2008.

The charges, filed in US District Court in Chicago, largely echo allegations the Federal Trade Commission made in December 2008 against operators of of the same companies. The federal judge hearing that case has held Innovative Marketing in contempt of court and fined it $8,000 per day for failing to comply with a temporary restraining order to shut down the scareware operation.

The three defendants stand accused of setting up at least seven fictitious advertising agencies that placed ads on unnamed websites. The ads redirected viewers to websites that presented graphics that mimicked virus scans falsely claiming machines were riddled with a variety of dangerous infections.

To keep the scheme alive, the men allegedly established multiple merchant accounts to allow victims to purchase the rogue anti-virus products. That allowed the men to have a fresh account to use when an older one got shut down because of repeated requests for refunds. They also used multiple payment sites.

The 57-page indictment names Shaileshkumar P. Jain, 40, a US citizen who is believed to be living in Ukraine; James Reno, 26, of Amelia, Ohio; and Bjorn Daniel Sundin, 31, a Swedish citizen. Each was charged with one count each of computer fraud and conspiracy to commit computer fraud. Sundin and Jain were each charged with 24 counts of wire fraud, and Reno was charged with 12 counts of wire fraud.

Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors are also seeking the forfeiture of $100m from a bank account located in Ukraine.

The indictment claimed Sundin, Jain and several unnamed individuals owned and operated Innovative Marketing, the Belize-based company that sold the software. Reno and others allegedly owned Byte Hosting, which prosecutors said operated call centers that provided technical and billing support to victims of the scam.

In all, the scheme is alleged to have tricked internet users in more than 60 countries into making purchases

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/28/scarware_scam_charges/