Examples:
|
[Collected via e-mail, October 2007]
Dear Name, A complaint has been filled against you and the company you are affiliated to by The complaint states he contacted your company on MON, On WED, 24 OCT 2007, the complaint was sent by fax to Federal Trade Commission and we forwarded it to Internal Revenue Service and Better Business Bureau. Complaint was filled against : Name : Company : If you feel that this message has been sent to you in error or if you have any questions regarding the next steps of this process, please download the original complaint by clicking the link below : http://ftc.gov/fraud/complaints/24_oct_2007_george_hanson.doc Please take knowledge of the complaint's content and complete the form at the bottom of forward it to fraudcomplaint@ftc.gov. Bruce Jameson Complaint Officer Federal Trade Commission,Fraud Department [Collected via e-mail, December 2007] Dear Mr. Smith, A complaint has been filled against the company you are affiliated to, in regards to the possibillity of tax avoidance and money laundering schemes. The complaint was filled by Registration : #74366843 Date: 12/10/2007 A copy of the initial complaint and claims has been attached to this Claims based on product liability; Claims for personal injuries; Claims that have been resolved by a previous court action, arbitration, or written agreement between the parties. The decision as to whether your dispute or any part of it can be arbitrated rests solely with the US Department of Treasury. The Department of Treasury offers a binding arbitration service for disputes involving marketplace transactions. Arbitration is a convenient, civilized way to settle disputes quickly and fairly, without the costs associated with other legal options. |
Origins: In October 2007, a virus circulated in an attachment to an
Merely opening the e-mail doesn't appear to trigger the virus' payload, but opening its attachment or clicking on any of the links it contains does.
Says the FTC of the computer virus being spread in
A bogus email is circulating that says it is from the Federal Trade Commission, referencing a "complaint" filed with the FTC against the email's recipient. The email includes links and an attachment that download a virus. As with any suspicious email, the FTC warns recipients not to click on links within the email and not to open any attachments.
The spoof email includes a phony sender's address, making it appear the email is from "frauddep@ftc.gov" and also spoofs the return-path and
reply-to fields to hide the email’s true origin. While the email includes the FTC seal, it has grammatical errors, misspellings, and incorrect syntax. Recipients should forward the email to spam@uce.gov and then delete it. Emails sent to that address are kept in the FTC's spam database to assist with investigations.
Simply opening the email does not appear to cause harm. However, it is likely that anyone who has opened the email’s attachment or clicked on the links has downloaded the virus on their computer, and should run an anti-virus program. The virus appears to install a "key logger" that could potentially grab passwords and account numbers. More information about bogus emails, phishing, and virus protection is available at www.OnGuardOnline.gov.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,600 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm.
The (DOJ) issued a similar warning:
The spoof email includes a phony sender's address, making it appear the email is from "frauddep@ftc.gov" and also spoofs the return-path and
|
|
Simply opening the email does not appear to cause harm. However, it is likely that anyone who has opened the email’s attachment or clicked on the links has downloaded the virus on their computer, and should run an anti-virus program. The virus appears to install a "key logger" that could potentially grab passwords and account numbers. More information about bogus emails, phishing, and virus protection is available at www.OnGuardOnline.gov.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,600 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm.
The Department of Justice has recently become aware of fraudulent spam e-mail messages claiming to be from DOJ. Based upon complaints from the public, it is believed that the fraudulent messages are addressed "Dear Citizen." The messages are believed to assert that the recipients or their businesses have been the subject of complaints filed with DOJ and also forwarded to the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, such email messages may provide a case number, and state that the complaint was "filled [sic] by Mr. Henry Stewart." A DOJ logo may appear at the top of the email message or in an attached file. Finally, the message may include an attachment that supposedly contains a copy of the complaint and contact information for Mr. Stewart.
THESE EMAIL MESSAGES ARE A HOAX. DO NOT RESPOND.
The Department of Justice did not send these unsolicited email messages — and would not send such messages to the public via email. Similar hoaxes have been recently perpetrated in the names of various governmental entities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service. Email users should be especially wary of unsolicited warning messages that purport to come from U.S. governmental agencies directing them to click on file attachments or to provide sensitive personal information.
In June 2007, another fake THESE EMAIL MESSAGES ARE A HOAX. DO NOT RESPOND.
The Department of Justice did not send these unsolicited email messages — and would not send such messages to the public via email. Similar hoaxes have been recently perpetrated in the names of various governmental entities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service. Email users should be especially wary of unsolicited warning messages that purport to come from U.S. governmental agencies directing them to click on file attachments or to provide sensitive personal information.
Consumers, including corporate and banking executives, appear to be targets of a bogus e-mail supposedly sent by the Federal Trade Commission but actually sent by third parties hoping to install spyware on computers. The bogus e-mail poses as an acknowledgment of a complaint filed by the recipient, and includes an attachment. Consumers who open the attachment to this e-mail unleash malicious spyware onto their computer. The agency warns consumers who get this e-mail that purports to be from the FTC:
— Don't open the attachment.
— Delete the e-mail.
— Empty the deleted items folder.
The hoax e-mail is personalized, and contains the name of the recipient and their business. The bogus message explains how the complaint will be used, who will have access to it and states, "Attached you will find a copy of your complaint. Please print a hard copy of the complaint for your records in the upcoming investigation." Opening the attachment downloads the malicious spyware.
Consumers can learn more about protecting themselves from malicious spyware and boguse-mails at OnGuardOnline.gov, a Web site created by the FTC in partnership with other federal agencies and the technology industry to help consumers stay safe online. The site features modules on spyware and phishing, at http://onguardonline.gov/spyware.html and http://onguardonline.gov/phishing.html.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish or to get free information on any of150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.shtm. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,600 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Last updated: 17 December 2007
— Don't open the attachment.
— Delete the e-mail.
— Empty the deleted items folder.
The hoax e-mail is personalized, and contains the name of the recipient and their business. The bogus message explains how the complaint will be used, who will have access to it and states, "Attached you will find a copy of your complaint. Please print a hard copy of the complaint for your records in the upcoming investigation." Opening the attachment downloads the malicious spyware.
Consumers can learn more about protecting themselves from malicious spyware and bogus
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish or to get free information on any of
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.
Sources:
Reuters. "Fake FTC E-Mail Carries Dangerous Virus." 30 October 2007.