New Digital Spam: How Bad Guys Try to Trick You; How to Avoid the Traps
Like Whack-a-Mole, new forms of digital spam pop up faster than security software can knock them down--and the problem is just getting worse. In fact, according to search engine newcomer Blekko, 1 million new spam pages are created every hour.
Mon, February 06, 2012
PC World — Like Whack-a-Mole, new forms of digital spam pop up faster than security software can knock them down--and the problem is just getting worse. In fact, according to search engine newcomer Blekko, 1 million new spam pages are created every hour.
At the outset, let me offer my defininition of spam: any kind of unwanted communication delivered by any unknown source. That's a broader description than many people would make; but much of what's happening online is not only annoying and a waste of time, but also sometimes injurious and costly.
Here are some of the latest forms of digital spam, together with some steps you can take to avoid them.
Fake News Sites
I recently wrote a story that resonated with readers. As I read through and responded to some of their comments, I saw this one:
"my roomates [sic] aunt makes $83/hr on the laptop. She has been without work for 8 months but last month her pay was $8682 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Read more on this site [URL]."
Really? All that money for just a few hours of work?
Sadly, some people actually fall for this spammy scam, click the link, and end up on a fake news site, which lures them to another page. There, if they hand over their name, phone number, and email address, they can gain access to the spammer's "incredible work-at-home opportunity." But you should never offer your personal information to any source you're not absolutely sure can be trusted, because hackers can use it to do all sorts of nefarious things.
The fake news sites, which have titles such as "News 6 News Alerts," falsely indicate that the reports they display have been "seen" on major media outlets, such as CNN, USA Today, and Consumer Reports; in reality the reports are merely ads meant to entice people to buy things.
The FTC recently shut down several groups peddling acai berry weight-loss and colon cleanse products, and informed the public that the reporters or commentators pictured on the sites were fictitious and had not conducted the tests or experienced the results described in the reports. Even the comments posted following the reports were additional advertising content, not independent statements from ordinary people.
Advice: One way that sneaky sellers hook consumers is by offering them free product trials. Remember the old adage, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." That goes for free trials as well. Most often the fine print about these deals goes unnoticed or unread, increasing the likelihood that the hapless consumers' credit card will get billed or they'll be stuck with a long-term contract if they don't unsubscribe by a certain date.
