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Cyberscams start with Olympics opening

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CIOL Bureau
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BANGALORE, INDIA: Fortinet - a leading player in high-performance network security - today advised Internet users to be on the alert for cyberscams as the Olympic Games open.

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"The second half of 2012 is a busy period, with major sports and political events like the Olympic Games, the UEFA European Football Championship and the US presidential elections. Such events guarantee strong Internet activity and with it, a flood of malware attacks. Internet users must be on high alert against losing money and personal information during times like these," said Karine de Ponteves, Antivirus Analyst at Fortinet.

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With more than 2 billion people connected online, the Internet has become the favorite playground of scammers. Thousands of online scams exist today to extract financial gains from victims, often taking advantage of their credulity.

ALSO Read: A Malware very social and ready for Olympic Games

A cyberscam often seen during major sporting events is "purchase fraud", which promises tickets at discounted prices. Users may chance upon tickets at temptingly low prices when they visit classified ads websites like eBay and Craigslist. They should be highly suspicious as such deals during game seasons are often pure frauds.

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Another type of scam is the ‘rogue antivirus software’. During major sports or political events, many users browse the Internet to learn about scores, results and other hot news. From a simple search on their favorite search engine, it's possible for users to get to a malicious website (or a legitimate website that has been hacked) with a pop-up window on their screen indicating that their computer is infected (even if they already have an antivirus program) and offering to clean it. This false message typically prompts users to click on the pop-up, enabling the installation of a bogus antivirus software without their knowledge and, next, the installation of Trojans to collect users’ key data such as passwords and banking numbers.

Lastly, in conjunction with contests to guess the results of matches, Internet users may receive "fake lottery" notifications. These are spam emails sent to users telling them they are the lucky winner of a large payout. To collect their winnings, users are first asked to pay duties. Of course, whether they pay or not, they will never receive their prizes.

Here are Fortinet's tips to prevent Internet users from losing money or personal information to the above or similar scams:

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Requests for password or credit card information should set off alarm bells - double check before you comply.

Be very wary of links that either lead to applications or external websites, especially if they are embedded in email or private messages discussing topical events or celebrities.

Shortened URLs are becoming very popular with the rise of micro-blogging and social networking services. They are a convenient tool for abuse — clicking on them can direct you to a malicious website without warning.  

Be cautious about revealing information typically used by Web services to recover your password, such as your mother’s maiden name, your favourite hobby or the school you went to. Once in the public domain, this information can be easily found and used to access your accounts or even establish a loan in your name.

Never send money to anyone you have never met in person.

Review financial statements on a weekly or monthly basis. The earlier you spot an error, the easier it is to resolve.

Believe the popular saying “If it's too good to be true, then it probably is”

If you haven't entered for a lottery, you can't win it.

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