Spam is Bad

Computer users are being warned about a growing problem with e-mail messages that takes you to counterfeit Web sites.

They are called phisher sites, and they look legitimate. So does the e-mail, which claims to come from a company you do business with and tells you to click on a link to go to the site and update your personal information.

It’s all a scam, aimed at draining your bank account or stealing your identity.

The Federal Trade Commission said it has just brought a case against the 17-year-old creator of one of the sites, which claimed to be for the AOL Billing Center. Officials said he has agreed to give up ,500 in ill-gotten gains and is now barred from sending e-mail spam for life.

Dear Client,

We’d like to provide you with an update on recent spam attacks.

Our message security vendor has advised us on high volumes of bogus CNN and MSNBC messages that contain links to download malware. Spammers have copied the contents of CNN and MSNBC alerts and substituted a link that prompts users to upgrade to a new version of a fake Adobe Flash player.

The security service has detected and blocked the vast majority of these attacks, and continues to release protections to stop the new mutations. Their capture rate is over 99%; however, the attack volumes are so large (in the hundreds of millions of messages) that a 1% passthrough rate means that a few messages may end up in your inbox.

For best security practices, if you see any CNN, MSNBC, or suspicious news alert messages:

• Do not deliver these messages from your Message Center or Quarantine Summary.
• Delete these messages from your inbox.
• Do not click on any links in the messages.

If you need to access CNN or MSNBC content, visit the website directly.

Please be assured that our security service considers virus and spam protection as their highest priority, and continues to be on the cutting edge against new spam attacks and tactics.

We have received several calls about faxes sent from Internet Corporation Listings Service. The faxes appear to be an invoice for search engine listing services.

These faxes are scams! The invoice format is designed to capture attention from the recipient, who in turn thinks they must submit payment for the service. The fine print on the “invoice” reads “This is not a bill, invoice or statement of account due. You are under no obligation to make a
payment, unless you accept this offer.”

If you receive a fax from ICLS.net, you SHOULD report it to the FTC. We have reported the scam to the Federal Trade Commission through this website, it is easy, and you should do the same!

Regarding ICLS.net, we have posted a PDF of the scam faxes being sent by this company at http://www.kleininternet.com/newsletters/faxscam.pdf

THIS EMAIL AND REMOVE.ORG IS VERY SUSPECT! DO NOT PAY .95 MEMBERSHIP FEE. EMAIL WAS SPAM. THERE IS NO WAY THEY CAN STOP SPAM WITH THE TECHNIQUE THEY ARE USING. ACTUAL EMAIL FOLLOWS HERE:

—– Original Message —–
From: Lori Butler
To: Sharron Kelly
Cc: Karla Anderson; Megan_Jim_Davis@hotmail.com; EdWaldon@lycos.com;
Andrea Manning; Bill Barnes; Mark and Karen Whyte-Iowa; danrogers3@alaska.net;
alex.urban@gci.net; stephens_03@attbi.net; Laura Clark-Glacial
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2003 10:19 AM
Subject: Concerned Parent
Hello,

I am very concerned about all the spam and adult related material that I have been receiving in my email box. Since my children also use the same email, it is even more of a problem. I have tried to get my name and the kids off these lists, but it seems as if that has just made the problem worse.

I complained to my Internet provider, but they said that there was nothing they could do because there is no law against sending spam. They recommended several software programs for filtering out the spam and pornography, which I did try. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop the majority of the inappropriate material that we were being exposed to.

I brought up this subject at a recent PTA meeting and was informed by a fellow parent of a non-profit organization called Remove.org. They are dedicated to stopping spam and pornography in email. They actually shut down irresponsible marketers who send adult related material and spam.

I have registered my email address with Remove.org and have been very pleased with the results. I would encourage you to do so as well, especially if your child has his own email account.

You can find their website at www.remove.org

Please forward this letter to everyone you know so that we can stop this problem.

Sincerely,

Lori Butler

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>
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>To have your email address added to the national opt-out directory
>please click on the following link: http://www.remove.org.
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