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According to a Symantec report, fake
anti-virus software continues to proliferate on the Web duping
millions of users every year into downloading, installing and paying
for bogus products.
Over a 12-month period, the creator of Norton anti-virus found no
fewer than 250 fake products circulating on the Web and detected 43
million attempts to install them. These fictitious solutions are
often the subject of alarmist advertising messages on the Internet,
in which the scammers who create them advise that a PC has become
infected and recommend the purchase and installation of a bogus
solution. For this reason, such products are commonly referred to as
“scareware”.
Programmes are sold for anything between thirty and one hundred US
dollars on sites that enjoy good rankings and are easy to use. Of
the 250 varieties identified by Symantec, 90% had their own websites
and 52% were being promoted through on-line advertising. The most
frequently accessed were found to be SpywareGuard 2008, AntiVirus
2008, AntiVirus 2009, SpywareSecure and XP AntiVirus.
Besides the revenue generated through product sales, this scam also
allows cybercriminals to collect and resell personal data including
bank account and credit card details.
Speaking to the BBC, Con Mallon of Symantec, explained: “Obviously,
you're losing your own hard-earned cash up front, but at the back
end of that, if you're transacting with these guys online you're
offering them credit card details, debit card details and other
personal information. That's obviously very valuable because these
cyber criminals can try to raid those accounts themselves, pass them
on or sell them to others who ultimately will try to use that
information to their benefit - not yours.”
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