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| A New Attempt to Get ’Mules’ Spoofs the Identity of a Real NGO Committed to Helping Children PandaLabs informs that it has detected a new website designed to get "mules", using underprivileged children as a ruse. The authors of this attack are the same authors who, a few days ago, - and as reported by PandaLabs - created a website for an alleged NGO committed to helping children. However, this time they have gone a step further and spoofed the website of a real Argentine NGO to achieve their aims. "It seems that the previous attack did not meet the expectations of these criminals and therefore, they have opted to use the image of a real NGO to win over users' confidence more easily", says Luis Corrons, director of PandaLabs. He adds, "However, it shows just how unscrupulous its authors are, as they do not care if they harm organizations that are truly committed to helping underprivileged children." The criminals have sent email messages offering an exceptionally well-paid job, working only a few hours a day. The message also includes a link that when clicked, accesses the spoofed website. What these criminals are really looking for is a "mule", that is, someone to launder stolen money in exchange for a commission. To do this, the fraudsters deposit money in the "mule's" bank account and the "mule" must send it to certain addresses specified by the fraudsters. By doing this, the "mule" not only launders the stolen money but also acts as a scapegoat, who the authorities will go after when the theft is discovered. "As a rule of thumb, users should never take any notice of messages that offer jobs or extremely simple and lucrative business opportunities, whatever they might be. It is clear that cyber-criminals will stop at nothing, and therefore, users should take all precautions possible", concludes Luis Corrons. Panda Software recommends all users to delete any messages of this type that reach their inboxes. What's more, they advise users not to provide any personal details that could be used for criminal activities. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Computing News :: home page |