McAfee, Inc. warns consumers about"the twelve scams of Christmas," or popular online attacks this holiday season

As cybercriminals beginto take advantage of the holiday season, McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE)revealed the "Twelve Scams of Christmas" - the twelve most dangerousonline scams that computer users should be cautious of this holidayseason. According to Consumer Reports' 2009 State of the Net Survey,cybercriminals have bilked $8 billion from consumers in the past twoyears, and McAfee warns consumers not to fall victim to the top scamsthis year.

"Cybercriminals' use their best schemes during the holidays to stealpeople's money, credit card information, social security number andidentity," said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Labs. "Thesethieves follow seasonal trends and create holiday-related Web sites,scams and other convincing e-mails that can trick even the most cautioususers."

McAfee's Twelve Scams of Christmas

Scam I: Charity Phishing Scams - Be Careful Who You Give To During the holiday season, hackers take advantage of citizens'generosity by sending e-mails that appear to be from legitimatecharitable organizations. In reality, they are fake Web sites designedto steal donations, credit card information and the identities ofdonors.

Scam II: Fake Invoices from Delivery Services to Steal Your Money During the holidays, cybercriminals often send fake invoices anddelivery notifications appearing to be from Federal Express, UPS or theU.S. Customs Service. They e-mail consumers asking for credit carddetails to credit back the account, or require users to open an onlineinvoice or customs form to receive the package. Once completed, theperson's information is stolen or malware is automatically installed ontheir computer.

Scam III: Social Networking - A Cybercriminal "Wants to be Your Friend" Cybercriminals take advantage of this social time of the year by sendingauthentic-looking "New Friend Request" e-mails from social networkingsites. Internet users should beware that clicking on links in thesee-mails can automatically install malware on computers and stealpersonal information.

Scam IV: The Dangers of Holiday E-Cards Cyber thieves cash in on consumers who send holiday e-cards in an effortto be environmentally conscious. Last holiday season, McAfee Labsdiscovered a worm masked as Hallmark e-cards and McDonald's andCoca-Cola holiday promotions. Holiday-themed PowerPoint e-mailattachments are also popular among cybercriminals. Be careful what youclick on.

Scam V: "Luxury" Holiday Jewelry Comes at a High Price McAfee Labs recently uncovered a new holiday campaign that leadsshoppers to malware-ridden sites offering "discounted" luxury gifts fromCartier, Gucci, and Tag Heuer. Cybercriminals even use fraudulent logosof the Better Business Bureau to trick shoppers into buying productsthey never receive.

Scam VI: Practice Safe Holiday Shopping - Online Identity Theft on theRise Forrester Research Inc. predicts online holiday sales will increase thisyear, as more bargain hunters turn to the Web for deals. While usersshop and surf on open hotspots, hackers can spy on their activity in anattempt to steal their personal information. McAfee tells users never toshop online from a public computer or on an open Wi-Fi network. Scam VII: Christmas Carol Lyrics Can Be Dangerous - Risky HolidaySearchesDuring the holidays, hackers create fraudulent holiday-related Web sitesfor people searching for a holiday ringtone or wallpaper, Christmascarol lyrics or a festive screensaver. Downloading holiday-themed filesmay infect one's computer with spyware, adware or other malware. McAfeefound one Christmas carol download site that led searchers to adware,spyware and other potentially unwanted programs. Scam VIII: Out of Work - Job-Related E-mail Scams The U.S. unemployment rate recently spiked to 10.2 per cent, the highestlevel since 1983. Scammers are preying on desperate job-seekers in thepoor economy, with the promise of high-paying jobs and work-from-homemoneymaking opportunities. Once interested persons submit theirinformation and pay their "set-up" fee, hackers steal their moneyinstead of following through on the promised employment opportunity.

Scam IX: Outbidding for Crime - Auction Site Fraud Scammers often lurk on auction sites during the holiday season. Buyersshould beware of auction deals that appear too good to be true, becauseoften times these purchases never reach their new owner.

Scam X: Password Stealing Scams Password theft is rampant during the holidays, as thieves use low-costtools to uncover a person's password and send out malware to recordkeystrokes, called keylogging. Once criminals have access to one or morepasswords, they gain vast access to consumers' bank and credit carddetails and clean out accounts within minutes. They also commonly sendout spam from a user's account to their contacts.

Scam XI: E-Mail Banking Scams Cybercriminals trick consumers into divulging their bank details bysending official-looking e-mails from financial institutions. They askusers to confirm their account information, including a user name andpassword, with a warning that their account will become invalid if theydo not comply. Then they often sell this information through anunderground online black market.

McAfee Labs believes cybercriminals are more actively scamming consumerswith this tactic during the holidays since people are monitoring theirpurchases closely.

Scam XII: Your Files for Ransom - Ransomware Scams Hackers gain control of people's computers through several of theseholiday scams. They then act as virtual kidnappers to hijack computerfiles and encrypt them, making them unreadable and inaccessible. Thescammer holds the user's files ransom by demanding payment in exchangefor getting them back.

McAfee <http://home.mcafee.com/> advises Internet users to follow thesefive tips to protect their computers and personal information:

1. Never Click on Links in E-Mails: Go directly to a company orcharity's Web site by typing in the address or using a search engine.Never click on a link in an e-mail.

2. Use Updated Security Software: Protect your computer frommalware, spyware, viruses and other threats with updated securitysuites. McAfee(r) Total Protection software provides fully-featuredprotection from current and emerging threats. It also comes built inwith McAfee SiteAdvisor(r) technology, a safe search toolbar to warnconsumers of a Web site's safety rating as well as phishing protection.It uses intuitive red, yellow and green checkmarks to rate potentiallydangerous Web sites when searched on Google, Yahoo! or Bing.

3. Shop and Bank on Secure Networks: Only check bank accounts orshop online on secure networks at home or work, wired or wireless. Wi-Finetworks should always be password-protected so hackers cannot gainaccess to them and spy on online activity.

Also, remember to only shop on Web sites that begin with https://,instead of http://, and seek out Web sites with security trustmarks,like McAfee SECURE(tm).

4. Use Different Passwords: Never use the same passwords forseveral online accounts. Diversify passwords and use a complexcombination of letters, numbers and symbols.

5. Use Common Sense: If you are ever in doubt that an offer orproduct is not legitimate, do not click on it. Cybercriminals are behindmany of the seemingly "good" deals on the Web, so exercise caution whensearching and buying.

If you think you may be a victim of cybercrime, visit McAfee'sCybercrime Response Unit to assess your risks and learn what to do nextat www.mcafee.com/cru.(C) 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

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