14 DAY TRIAL // Spammers are relying on the recent news about the US arming Syria rebels in order to trick Internet users into handing over their personal details.
There are numerous online petitions against the involvement of the United States in Syria. Spammers have launched their own fake petitions in an effort to harvest names, email addresses and other information which they can later use in their campaigns.
Experts from Malwarebytes have come across a number of fake petitions. In one example, the initiator of the petition claims it will be delivered to the US House of Representatives, the Senate and President Barack Obama.
A similar petition is being advertised via spam emails that promise users the chance to win an Amazon gift card if they sign.
In most cases, the cybercrooks that launch these fake “No War on Syria” petitions only ask internauts to hand over their name and email address. However, this information is more than enough for a spam run that advertises various products and services, or one that attempts to trick users into installing malware.
People are more likely to trust an email that contains their name, than one that addresses them with “Dear customer” or another generic greeting.
Experts advise internauts to be careful before signing any petition. Avoid ones hosted on untrusted websites.