Spammers Using Fake LinkedIn Notifications

Spammers have begun sending out fake LinkedIn notices that have spam attached to them. At first glance they look like the notices you get when someone wants to add you to their network but they have a linked image attached which is usually an ad for Viagra Cialis and other related types of drugs. The link leads to a site called PathTasty. PathTasty appears to be one of the hundreds of fake internet pharmacies that fall under the “Canadian Pharmacy” umbrella. This isn’t a phishing scam – if you place an order you will get it but it will be a counterfeit version of the drugs you paid for. These fake drugs are made in China and India with unknown ingredients and are completely untested and unregulated. There have been no reports of anyone getting sick or dying from taking the fake drugs but the FDA was concerned enough to issue an alert warning consumers to stay away from these sites.

Canadian Pharmacy has been around for quite sometime now. Its spam is pumped out by the massive Rustock and Mega-D botnets and is run by GlavMed, which bills itself as an “affiliate program” but most security experts consider it a criminal organization. It’s located in Russia however which makes it difficult to track down.

Ironically there is a very legit company called Canada Pharmacy and they are said to be quite irate over the association with Canadian Pharmacy. Canada Pharmacy is a real pharmacy doing business on the net and unlike Canadian Pharmacy, they won’t dispense drugs to anyone without a valid prescription for them.