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| Phishers steal money and confidential data from
internet users. |
Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus and spam analysis centers, have warned computer
users to be wary of phishing emails that pretend to come from eBay,
following the arrest of a Californian student suspected of
phishing.
According to media reports, a Californian college student is
scheduled to appear in court today in connection with a phishing
campaign which is alleged to have tried to steal personal
information from 30,000 people.
20-year-old Ali Shekarfroush, of Riverside Community College in
California, was arrested on Tuesday 7 March at the University
Village theater in Riverside. According to a news release by the
Riverside County Sherriff's Department the arrest was a result of a
14 month investigation by its high-tech crime taskforce.
It is claimed that Shekarfroush sent emails posing as messages
from the online auction website eBay, directing recipients to a
bogus website in an attempt to steal credentials.
"It's not just online banks who suffer from criminals sending
phishing emails designed to fool the public into thinking its a
legitimate communication. PayPal and eBay are amongst the most
popular targets, and they have published advice on their websites
to help tell the difference between a real and bogus email," said
Graham Cluley,
senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Computer users need to
become more savvy when it comes to protecting themselves from
phishing and other types of attack via email."
Last month, Sophos revealed in a
survey that 58% of people receive a phishing email each
day.
Sophos recommends companies protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can defend businesses
from the threats of spam, spyware and viruses.
Organizations concerned about being fraudulently represented in
phishing campaigns can sign up to the Sophos early warning system,
Sophos PhishAlert.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.