Search Engine Optimisation, Promotion and Internet Marketing

Spam scans on the increase

25 April 2005

Pharming attacks and spamming are becoming a bigger problem on the internet, according to a new report.

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and the National Cyber-Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA) are working together in a bid to tackle spam scams that see web criminals using increasingly sophisticated methods to collect personal information and conduct online fraud.

The NCFTA has identified what it believes are the top five spam scams, including Google hacking and fraudulent email claiming to come from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

NCFTA is a non-profit organisation concentrated on cyber crime and conducts the DMA's Operation Slam Spam in connection with the FBI. The DMA is working with the NCTFA, federal authorities, non-profit organisations and business organisations in order to tackle fraudulent spam.

DMA spokesperson Louis Mastria said: "Everyone must be constantly vigilant to scams that seek to collect personal or financial information to be used to commit fraud." Only two per cent of all online sales are fraudulent, according to Mr Mastra, but scams can scare off web customers.

Pharming scams, where online criminals redirect web requests to bogus sites, top the NCTFA warning list. "This is becoming more widespread, with a lot of bogus sites appearing, and is much harder to detect than other type of spam attacks," Mr Mastria said.

Google hacking involves scammers using the search engine to retrieve sensitive information from individuals and scammers can locate business resumes that individuals have posted on the web, often including information such as Social Security numbers, family history, dates of birth, home addresses, phone numbers, and education, using explicit search commands.

The NCTFA also warns that phishing attacks, which use scam emails and bogus websites to trick recipients into revealing confidential personal or financial information, are on the increase.

Online fraud cost merchants $2.6 billion in 2004, an increase of $700 million from 2003, according to the CyberSource Corporation.

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