14 DAY TRIAL // Emails entitled “Groupon dicount (sic) gifts” have been making the rounds for the past week or so. Users are advised to be on the lookout since they carry dangerous pieces of malware.
The first ones to notice the large wave of spam messages were researchers from Sophos. The emails they’ve encountered are fairly well designed, except for a few spelling mistakes that reveal their true identity.
These emails read:
Hi there!
You're going to love it We are glad to inform you that one of your friends has found a great deal on Groupon.com! And even shared it with you!
Yeah! Now Groupon.com gives an opportunity to share a discount gift with a friend! Enjoy your discount gift in the attachement and share it with one of your friend as well.
All the details in the file attached. be in a hurry this weekend special is due in 2 days!
The attached file – Gift coupon.zip - contains malicious elements identified by Sophos products as Troj/Bredo-ABB and Mal/BredoZp-B.
Sophos experts aren’t the only ones to issue warnings regarding this spam campaign. Researchers from Norman have also released their own alert yesterday, providing users with some valuable advice on how to avoid such threats.
They recommend internauts to look for bad English whenever they receive suspicious pieces of mail. Genuine companies never send messages filled with typos and grammar mistakes.
Furthermore, the rule of thumb we’ve mentioned on numerous occasions also applies in this case: if it’s too good to be true, it usually is.
Finally, remember that as long as you don’t click on the links or open the attachments that come in these malicious emails, you’re safe. There are a few instances in which a computer can become infected only by opening the message, but in such situations a decent antivirus solution can keep you out of harm's way.