Tips on Holiday Greeting Card Spam

Written by Sue Walsh on December 4, 2008

Tips on Holiday Greeting Card SpamThe FBI has issued a warning about a new wave of holiday greeting card spam. Scammers are sending emails claiming the recipent has recieved a holiday greeting card from a friend or family member and asks them to click on a link to view it. The link leads to a malicious website made to look like the  page of a popular electronic greeting card site like Hallmark. The site downloads malware on to the recipents computer. It also directs all network traffic between their browser and the fake page, allowing the scammers to steal their personal information. They offer the following tips to help protect yourself from this and other malicious spam attacks:

  • Do not respond to unsolicited (spam) email.
  • Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited email.
  • Be cautious of email claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
  • Avoid filling out forms in email messages that ask for personal information.
  • Always compare the link in the email to the link that you are actually directed to.
  • Log on to the official website, instead of “linking” to it from an unsolicited email.
  • Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the email to verify if the email is genuine.
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    An easy way to spot greeting card spam is if the subject and greeting are vague. Legit greeting card emails will list the sender’s name in the subject line and address you by name in the email itself. The spam messages will simply say “You got a e-card from a friend.” and be very vague. And needless to say, if the greeting card is attached to the email, don’t open it! Delete it immediately.

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