In the aftermath of the death of Osama Bin Laden this past weekend, the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama is warning consumers to watch out for a slew of cyber-scams that have popped up in the past few days.
According to Kaspersky Labs, an Internet security firm, malicious Web sites and links have been proliferating on Google Images search, Facebook, and other social media sites.
On Facebook, a fake video purporting to show the death of Bin Laden prompts users to input a malicious URL into their browsers, which will infect their computer with a virus. Kaspersky also reports that other Facebook scams lure victims to malicious Facebook Pages with promises of free airplane tickets, and other “free” offers to “celebrate Osama’s death.”
Consumers should also be very wary of links to Osama related Web sites that they find on Twitter, or any link with a URL that leads to an unfamiliar web page. Often these links will lead consumers to Web sites with viruses, or forms that encourage consumers to enter personal information, which can be used to steal their identity, or for phishing scams.
One local resident forwarded an email message to the BBB that he received as part of a foreign letter scam. The message claims to be from a General in the United States Marine Corps who had been assigned to the raid on Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. He claims to have $10 million that he obtained due to his role in the raid, which needs to be “evacuated” over to the U.S. and in safe hands while he completes his investigation in Pakistan.
BBB experience shows with foreign letter scams that if the email recipient falls for the story and responds back, eventually they will be asked to provide their bank account number. If that number is provided, the account will be cleaned out by the scam artist – not enriched with millions of dollars.
BBB Tips:
- Be mindful about clicking on links that purport to show information that’s not widely available from respected news sources. In the case of Bin Laden, no photos or videos related to his death have been released. Be extremely skeptical of links that say otherwise.
- Be wary of free offers “celebrating” any sort of occasion, especially if the offer comes from a company or Web site you haven’t heard of before. Often times all it takes for a scammer to infect your computer with a virus is clicking on one bad link.
- Keep in mind that if an offer sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Ask yourself why you would be selected by a stranger to help them transfer millions of dollars out of a foreign country. You should never provide your bank account number or other personal information to anyone you are not familiar with.
- If you you’re unsure if an offer or a Web site is legitimate, contact your BBB at 256.533.1640 or 800.239.1642.
For more information on how consumers and businesses can protect themselves from scams and hoaxes, or to find reputable businesses, visit www.northalabama.bbb.org.