He also says there are a number of things that make the message appear believable.
ROBERT SICILIANO: “What makes the scam look credible is that it often grabs a screen shot of what your computer looks like, windows that mimic the characteristics of your PC. And that brings some familiarity to you which enhances the quality of the scam.”
In some cases, “scareware” operators misrepresent themselves as real companies, like Dell, Microsoft, even McAfee. There is an order form, a place to add credit card information, and yes -- a download. You may even receive a confirmation email thanking you for your purchase.
But Mr. Siciliano says, in reality, there was nothing to fix in the first place. What you get for your money is often a junk software program. Even more often, he says, it is something more harmful.
ROBERT SICILIANO: “You now have a virus and anything you do beyond that -- any links that you click, any personal information that you enter -- you’re essentially going deeper down the rabbit hole, making the problem much worse.”
The judgment last week bars the defendants from selling computer security software and any other software that interferes with computer use. It also bars them from any form of misleading marketing.
Last week, the FTC announced action against six other companies suspected of tricking people to buy unneeded anti-virus software. Many of the companies are said to be based in India.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25