According to an alert put out by Mcafee, cyberthieves are using classic phishing tactics to bilk people. These scammers are creating fake Websites and e-mail campaigns to solicit donations for Japan relief efforts. These Websites and e-mails like they're from well-known charities, but are actually fronts to steal your personal information and credit card details. McAfee also notes that these sites are also coming up in searches for quake news.
In addition, McAfee says that scammers are spreading links that purportedly go to videos of the disaster, but instead the links downloads malware to your PC or take you do a phishing page. And of course, you should beware of similat phishing attempts on social networks.
McAfee recommends several tips to avoid getting taken: don't respond to e-mail, text message, or IM donation requests; be wary of links promoting videos or photos from the quake zone; and keep in mind that .org Website addresses don't necessarily mean that a site is legitimate.
The best advice is to stick with charities you know and trust. Donating to established charity organizations such as the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, or Save the Children (among others) is the best way to go. And you should always navigate to the site's Website directly by typing its address into your browser instead of clicking e-mail links.
Posts
