Scammers Impersonate Google To Steal Identity

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November 9, 2005

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The Web site looks just like Google's search portal, and the message is designed to grab your attention: "You’ve Won $400!"

But according to an alert from Websense, a security monitoring company, the site is a clever fake designed to steal unsuspecting consumers' credit card information.

“Users are presented with instructions for collecting their prize money. These instructions direct users to enter their credit card number and shipping address,” the alert said.

“Once the information has been collected, users are directed to Google's legitimate website.”

Websense said victims are sent to the fake Web site by clicking on the link in an email, sent out as spam to millions of computer users. The security firm said the approach is common to make phishing scams, and that Internet users can generally protect themselves by not clicking on links in spammed messages.

The alert said the fake Google site appears to be hosted within the U.S.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...ogle_scam.html

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FYI to everyone - the technical term for this type of scam is called Phishing.

This practice has been around for years and if you use the Internet, you should have already been aware of this. Simple rules to follow, Real companies do not ask for credit card numbers through unsecure sites - look for the lock and look at the URL to confirm identity. If your still unsure, don't do it.