A Viral Lump Of Coal Could Be Wrapped In Your Holiday Email
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Just in time for the holidays, targeted e-mail scams that might not make you think twice before pointing and clicking.
'Tis the season for packages a'plenty, so an e-mail from UPS saying you have a gift they're trying to deliver wouldn't be unexpected, "But it's not really from UPS," says Angela Knox with the e-mail security service Cloudmark. "It's trying to trick you into opening an attachment or clicking on a link," leaving a virus unwrapped on your PC.
"It does look pretty legit. They're using some images from the UPS website and they've got some links that do go to the real UPS website."
That, she says (via Skype) is to confuse spam filters. There are tell-tale signs -- like a grammar flub.
"It says 'we were not able to deliver the post package' instead of 'we were not able to deliver the package."
And normally, she says, actual UPS e-mails contain the full delivery address.
Instead of clicking links in a message, Knox suggests going to the reputable corporate site by typing it in your browser address bar.
Reported by Ian Bush, KYW Newsradio 1060
