Arlington, VA – In the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden, the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to watch out for a slew of cyber-scams that have popped up as a result.
According to Kaspersky Labs, an Internet security firm, malicious websites and links have been proliferating on Google Images searches, Facebook and other social media sites.
On Facebook, a fake video purporting to show the death of bin Laden prompts users to input a malicious URL into their browsers, which could infect their computer with a virus. Kaspersky also reports that other Facebook scams lure victims to malicious Facebook Pages with promises of free airplane tickets, and other “free” offers to “celebrate Osama’s death.”
Consumers and businesses should also be very wary of scams similar to the Nigerian Letter Scam circling around bin Laden's death. Although each letter may contain a slightly different appeal, the BBB is reporting that the latest letter purportedly is written by a "soldier" asking for assistance in transferring millions of excess dollars to a trustworthy U.S. citizen. To participate in the deal, the person must contact the soldier to solidify the partnership and arrange pickup of the money.
Usually with this type of scam, the victim is asked to provide their bank account number and the name, address, phone and fax numbers of their bank. Using the provided information, the con artists can then plunder the victim's bank account. Or they may try to get money directly by requesting exorbitant payments to cover transfer fees, travel expenses, taxes, or necessary bribes before the transaction can occur. Needless to say, no one has ever received the promised funds, and losses from participating in illegal foreign business deals are nearly impossible to recover.
The BBB advises consumers to:
Think before you click. Be mindful about clicking on links that purport to show information that’s not widely available from respected news sources. In the case of bin Laden, no photos or videos related to his death have been released. Be extremely skeptical of links that say otherwise.
Don’t fall for the not-so-free “free” offer. Be wary of free offers “celebrating” any sort of occasion, especially if the offer comes from a company or website you haven’t heard of before. Often times all it takes for a scammer to infect your computer with a virus is clicking on one bad link.
Spread the word. Discuss such scams with all the members of your family who have access to the Internet. Young people are very computer savvy, but may not be scam savvy, and older adults are specifically targeted by scammers because they are often very trusting.
Know the red flags. Watch out for grammatical mistakes in e-mails, letters and on websites. Poor grammar or misspelled words are red flags that the e-mail or website is probably a scam. Most importantly, never wire money based on instructions. Scammers prey on those who think they need to wire money to have a situation resolved.
Check with the BBB. The BBB advises anyone receiving such a letter not to respond. Instead, send the letter to your local BBB or to the U.S. Secret Service, which is currently investigating the scam.
For more information on how consumers can protect themselves against scams, or to find reputable businesses they can visit
wynco.bbb.org.
About the Better Business Bureau As the leader in advancing marketplace trust, Better Business Bureau is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Every year, more than 65 million consumers rely on BBB Business Reviews
® and BBB Wise Giving Reports
® to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities across North America. Visit www.bbb.org/us for more information.
About the BBB
The Better Business Bureau, founded in 1912, is a champion for ethics and trust in the marketplace. Only businesses that meet the high BBB standards are invited to become BBB Accredited Businesses. Today, 123 BBBs across the United States and Canada rate more than 4 million local and national businesses and charities with scores ranging from A+ to F. Only a BBB Accredited Business may elect to participate in BBBOnLine, one of the most trusted and recognized Internet seal programs in the world.
The BBB serving northern Colorado and Wyoming topped 1.1 million instances of service to consumers and businesses in the last 12 months. These services include reliability reports on local companies and charities, access to companies that can be trusted by industry, help with dispute resolution, and trustworthy information on consumer and business topics.
Luanne Kadlub, BBB media relations manager, 970-488-2044 lkadlub@wynco.bbb.org