New phishing scam sinks to new lows by targeting parents with fake “child predator in your area” emails.
(Tampa Bay, FL) Jan 29, 2015--A new phishing scam targeting parents with fake alerts about child predators has been found, warns KnowBe4 CEO Stu Sjouwerman. The campaign starts with the receipt of an email with a subject line like: “Alert: There is a child predator living near you!” This information is based on a “local area zip code.”
Sjouwerman stated, “Just when you think phishing criminals cannot sink any further, you get confronted with a "new low". This phishing scam preys a on parent's fear.The scam email looks like a warning for parents about a child predator that moved into their zipcode area, but you don’t remember signing up for such a service. It’s a really low phishing scam.”
When the email is opened, it "warns" the target victim that a predator has moved into the area and provides a link for more information. Clicking the link infects the computer with malware that will try to steal passwords, credit information, and other information that leads up to stealing one’s identity.
If someone clicks on the link, they are redirected through several sites to land on the “Kids Live Safe” website, which is a service that sells localized reports on sex offenders. But this phishing attack is not from that website, it just sends victims there to try to look credible and distract attention from the fact your computer is now infected with malware. Here is an example of what this scam looks like:
Sjouwerman notes, “Cyber criminals are getting more sophisticated by the month. It is really a must to step employees through effective security awareness training and send them simulated phishing attacks on a regular basis.”
For more information about Kevin Mitnick Security Awareness Training, visit www.KnowBe4.com
For regular updates on these types of scams, visit Sjouwerman’s blog at: http://blog.knowbe4.com/
About Stu Sjouwerman and KnowBe4
Stu Sjouwerman (pronounced “shower-man”) is the founder and CEO of KnowBe4, LLC, which provides web-based Security Awareness Training (employee security education and behavior management) to small and medium-sized enterprises. A data security expert with more than 30 years in the IT industry, Sjouwerman was the co-founder of Inc. 500 company Sunbelt Software, an award-winning anti-malware software company that he and his partner sold to GFI Software in 2010. Realizing that the human element of security was being seriously neglected, Sjouwerman decided to help entrepreneurs tackle cybercrime tactics through advanced security awareness training. KnowBe4 services hundreds of customers in a variety of industries, including highly-regulated fields such as healthcare, finance and insurance and is experiencing explosive growth with a surge of 427% in 2013 alone. Sjouwerman is the author of four books, with his latest being Cyberheist: The Biggest Financial Threat Facing American Businesses.
About Kevin Mitnick
Kevin Mitnick is an internationally recognized computer security expert with extensive experience in exposing the vulnerabilities of complex operating systems and telecommunications devices. He gained notoriety as a highly skilled hacker who penetrated some of the most resilient computer systems ever developed. Today, Mitnick is renowned as an information security consultant and speaker, and has authored three books, including The New York Times best seller Ghost in the Wires. His latest endeavor is a collaboration with KnowBe4, LLC.
