Cyber criminals cash in on Japan disasters

source: abs-cbnnews
MANILA, Philippines - Cyber criminals are taking advantage of Japan's twin earthquake and tsunami disasters to steal not only money, but personal data, from concerned Internet users.

Security experts say cyber crooks are flooding the Internet with fake relief videos and emails tricking people to donate money, even within hours after the tragedy in Japan. Scammers are also using the names of organizations involved in rescue and relief operations like the Japan Red Cross Society and UNICEF.

"Normally, they have dubious attachments (in the emails). They say 'click here for more information' or 'watch this video.' Again, as I said, that is not very regular of any organization. So please don't click the links, or [view] the attachments," said Myla Pilao, marketing director at TrendLabs Marketing.

Social networking sites, where a virtual display of generosity and sympathy for victims of the Japan disasters is happening, have also become breeding grounds for such scams.

In some cases, cyber criminals set up phishing sites disguised as donation sites to harvest email addresses and other personal information from unsuspecting Internet surfers.

The public is advised to make use of website check tools such as www.global.sitesafety.trendmicro.com and www.siteadvisor.com to ensure that a certain site is safe and legitimate.

source: abs-cbnnews