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May 15, 2007
NEWS: Beware of Windows Phishing Scam
Internet securities company
Symantec noted recently that an internet
phishing scam disguising itself as Microsoft
Windows registration pages is making its rounds,
and preying on unsuspecting victims. Apparently,
these faux pages are embedded with a Trojan
virus that snaps up credit card information for
the purpose of identity theft.
Reportedly, the trojan parrots the appearance
and characteristics of Microsoft's Windows
Genuine Advantage (WGA) anti-piracy software,
which tracks down pirated copies of the
operating system. When an infected computer
boots up, the virus pops up a window that
(incorrectly) tells the user that another user
has used their serial number of Windows. To
“re-activate” the software, the page asks for a
phone number, e-mail address, and credit card
information. To be even more compelling, the
virus will actually shut down the PC if the user
tries to bypass the screen.
Microsoft claims that it will not ask for
verification in this fashion, and says that the
prevalence of this style of fraud only serves to
illustrate the constant vigilance that consumers
must necessarily employ in dealing with internet
communications. Critics of the WGA claim that it
essentially amounts to spyware in and of itself,
as it reports back to Microsoft without the
user’s express consent.
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