Watch out for cyberscams as Olympics open

VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE

 

Fortinet has recently advised Internet users to be on the alert for cyberscams at the time of the Olympic Games.

"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, Fortinet.

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. 

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 favourite search engine, it is possible for users to get to a malicious website with a pop-up window on their screen indicatingthat their computer is infected and offering to clean it. 

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.

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