Skylarking

My blog post titled “I’m Fighting Acai Berry Spam Today” from August 14, 2008 is the 4th most read post on Skylarking. It has received a fair amount of commentary since April of this year. The comments have lead me to add an update to the post to clarify the intent and purpose of the article:

This post is about spam in general, using Acai Berry spam as an example. I aim to (1) illustrate that sometimes email addresses and web site addresses don’t match; and that when WHOIS is used, one may often find that they might not belong to the same person or organization. That should be a warning as to the legitimacy of the email message (or the site). Some readers have focused more on the email aspect of spam, but (2) much spam directs you to a web site. As some commenters have pointed out: email addresses can be spoofed, and tracking an email can be very difficult, BUT it is my opinion that web sites can be easier to track.

So my point is that spam is often associated with a web site, and discrepancies between a web site and an email message can often help determine the validity of the email and/or the site.

You can read the updated post and comments here.

Thanks to everyone who has commented, and added their thoughts, ideas, and knowledge concerning the subject. And thank you for leading me to elaborate further. I look forward to hearing more comments and thoughts on the subject.

You may or may not have heard the news last week, but spam traffic dropped by 50 to 70 percent last week after two Internet Service Providers (ISPs) cut off Internet access for hosting company McColo in California last week.

If you’re not familiar with these terms, a hosting company provides computer service and equipment for other companies and individuals. A hosting company typically offers storage service for email and web sites. An ISP provides companies and individuals with access to the Internet.

In last week’s case, McColo, a hosting company with locations in Delaware and California, was providing hosting services to several companies and individuals who used the McColo’s computers to distribute viruses and spyware via spam and harmful web sites. Many of the sites and messages dealt in pharmaceutical drug sales and child pornography. These companies were paying McColo for the use of their computers, and despite the illegal activity McColo ignored it.

McColo’s host computer center in San Jose, CA was connected to the Internet via several Internet Service Providers.  Two of the providers took it upon themselves to deprive McColo of Internet access and shutdown the Internet connection. Within seconds the level of spam traffic worldwide dropped by 50% to 75% according to several spam watchdog services such as Spamhaus.

Consumer Risks: “XP AntiVirus Protection” and “AntiVirus 2009″

If you downloaded either of these two programs then you can probably count yourself among the victims of this incident. “XP AntiVirus Protection” and “AntiVirus 2009″were fraudulent programs distributed by several companies and individuals who were provided hosting services by McColo.

Update Jan. 2010: As a computer service professional I receive two calls for help per week to remove spyware and fraudulent anti-spyware programs. Best Buy’s Geek Squad wants $200 — $300 to remove spyware and viruses. My recommendation, purchase Spyware Doctor(at right) for only $39.95 and protect up to 3 computers. It’s the real deal. It’s downloadable, and not available in stores. Only have one PC? Then ask a friend and/or relative if they’d like to split the cost with you.

Below are sample images of the two most common fraudlent (anti-)spyware programs circulating the web. The call them “spyware protectors” some times. Sadly what these  scammers are saying is they “protect the spyware” and not your computer.

AntiVirus 2009

XP AntiVirus

Help Yourself, Help Your Computer

If you downloaded either of these fraudulent programs you should remove them immediately. To do so:

1. Click Start > Conrol Panel
2. Click or double-click “Add/Remove Programs” (In Vista and Windows 7 its called “Programs and Features”)
3. Locate and click each of these programs on the list and click “Remove” or “Uninstall” for each one found.

After removing these programs, go purchase Spyware Doctorto remove any traces of these programs and the harmful software they may have added to your computer. I recommend Spyware Doctor from PC Tools—hands down—over any other antispyware software you’ll find.

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A lot of time has been spent in this blog discussing spam and false or misleading identities associated with spam, but I have yet to tackle the subject of identity theft until today. It came to a few days ago while reading the morning news.

Did you know that 47% of all identity theft cases are traced to family members, relatives, friends, and neighbors? Similarly, 36% of all Identity theft victims know the person who misused their information?

It’s my opinion that most people think that most identity theft occurs online then anywhere else, but a study in 2006 reveled that 90% of all identity theft takes place offline. The primary sources of theft are through lost or stolen wallets, checkbooks, and credit cards. Garbage cans and refuse are decreasing as sources of theft as nearly 70% of all consumers shred their documents before throwing them out, so the trash is now responsible for less than 1% of identity theft sources.

ID Theft Trends by Age Group

• The 65+ age group has the smallest number of victims (2.3%)
• The 35-44 demographic age group has the highest average fraud amount ($9,435). No connection was found between the age group and Internet usage. Most fraud cases arose from offline areas such as lost cards, checkbooks, wallets, and carelessness in leaving personal information in an accessible area.

Four Misperceptions Surrounding Identity Fraud

Misperception #1: “Consumers are helpless to protect themselves”

• In 63% of fraud cases, the point of compromise was either theft by close associates of the consumer (friends, family, neighbors, etc.), lost or stolen wallets, cards and checkbooks, breached home computers or stolen mail or trash.
• Consumers detect almost half (47%) of identity fraud cases. Self-detection is faster (averages 67 days vs. 101 days), results in smaller average fraud amounts ($4,431 vs. $8,466) and smaller consumer costs ($347 vs. $538).
• A key way to detect fraudulent accounts is through credit monitoring / reports. Eleven percent of fraud cases were caught via this means.

Misperception #2: “Consumers bear the brunt of the financial losses from identity fraud”

• Average out-of-pocket cost for identity fraud victims is $422.

Misperception #3: “Internet use increases the risks of identity fraud”

• Less than 10% of identity theft cases occured online.
• Internet use can lead to lower damages from identity fraud.
• Electronic account monitoring is the fastest way to detect fraud and leads to lower losses – (22 days and $3,806).

Misperception #4: ” Seniors are most frequent targets of fraud operators”

• Generation X (ages 25-34) has the highest rate of identity fraud at 5.4 percent. The average fraud amount for this demographic is $6,270 as compared to the average fraud amount for the 65+ segment which is $2,665.

Identity Safety Tips That Can Protect Consumers

from the Better Business Bureau

PREVENT access to your personal information

• Do not release Social Security or account numbers in response to e-mail, phone or in-person requests. When responding to e-mail, ignore any Internet links provided and type the full address instead.
• Keep all sensitive documents, checkbooks and credit cards securely locked away at home and at work.
• Carry only those credit cards that you need in your wallet.
• Before discarding, shred all private documents.
• Retrieve paper mail promptly and place outgoing checks or other sensitive documents in a U.S. Postal Service mailbox.
• Sign up for automatic payroll deposits.
• Replace paper bills, statements and checks with online (paperless) versions.
• Keep passwords hidden (even in your own home) and change them frequently.
• Use and regularly update firewall and anti-virus software.
• Do not respond to suspicious e-mails. Delete them, and if there is any doubt contact the company to determine if the e-mail is real.
• Don’t discard a computer without completely destroying the data on the hard drive.

DETECT unauthorized activity

• Review bank, credit card and biller statements weekly – available through online account access.
• Contact your financial provider if you fail to receive statements in a timely manner.
• Review your credit information regularly (free annual reports are available at www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228).
• Use e-mail-based account “alerts” to monitor transfers, payments, low balances, withdrawals, or detect any out-of-pattern activity.
• Visit your bank’s, credit card issuer’s or biller’s web site(s) frequently to monitor regular account activity.

RESOLVE fraud promptly, minimizing losses and protecting your credit record

• Ask your financial provider about zero-liability guarantees against fraud and dedicated resources to help you resolve and recover from any potential losses.
• Victims of theft: notify your financial providers, begin monitoring your accounts more frequently, and place an “alert” at all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion).
• Alert federal and local law enforcement if you suspect or detect identity fraud.

More Online Resources

• ID Theft State by State
• How Safe Are You? Take an Identity Safety Quiz at www.idsafety.net
• Better Business Bureau: www.bbb.org/idtheft
• Checkfree: www.checkfree.com/idprotect
• Federal Trade Commission: www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
• VISA: www.visa.com/security
• Wells Fargo: www.wellsfargo.com/privacy_security/fraud_prevention/

Statistics by Javelin Strategy and Research:

  

About Javelin Strategy and Research
Javelin provides research-based strategic direction for financial services, payments, e-commerce, and identity fraud. Javelin rigorously researches technology issues, industry trends, attitudes and activities of consumers, small businesses, institutions, processors, merchants, billers, and other organizations in order to deliver relevant, high-impact strategic guidance. Javelin can be found on the Web at www.javelinstrategy.com. For more information on this project or other Javelin studies, visit www.idsafety.net or www.javelinstrategy.com/reports/

Post Comments or Questions with the link below. Keep up-to-date with Skylarking: By Email or RSS Newsfeed or on Twitter. You can also send questions with my email form.