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INDUSTRY NEWS


27 May 2008

Firms warned of disaster donation phishing scams


Enterprises looking to donate to appeals for the recent disasters in Burma and China have been warned of a number of 'phishing' scams looking to take advantage of the situation, Computer Weekly reports.

According to the website, a security expert explained that many companies have been receiving a high volume of emails from parties requesting funds for disaster relief in those countries.

However, David Hobson, managing director of security company GSS, warned: "Most of these email appeals are actually phishing requests, which means that anyone donating via the suggested websites may find themselves asked for a variety of personal and/or company information."

He explained that such information could be used by computer criminals for identity theft, as well as the transfer of funds.

Phishing is the process by which fraudsters illegally attempt to acquire sensitive information through false pretenses, usually by pretending to be a trustworthy source in an email.

Recently, 33 members of a large phishing gang, allegedly operating out of the United States, Canada, Pakistan, Portugal and Romania, were apprehended by international authorities.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd.

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