14 DAY TRIAL // A new spam campaign is now targeting the Halloween fans, aiming to steal their private information using a $250 gift. Most of the emails are trying to get the users on some malicious websites which ask for private information such as name, email and address. All the messages are related to the October 31 celebrations when Halloween festivities are officially started. Security company Sophos wrote that most emails offer a $250 gift card for the private details about the users but it's not yet confirmed whether the information can be used in identity theft or other malicious activities.
"A $250 MasterCard Gift Card - there's nothing scary about that! Participation required. See below for details. Instead of running away, take advantage of your Halloween gift card and click below," one spam messages reads according to Sophos. "Halloween only comes around once a year, so make the most of it with your $250 MasterCard Gift Card. Instead of dressing up a witch or vampire, get creative this year and click on the link below!"
"It's not immediately obvious whether this spam is being sent to commit identity theft or whether it's market research gone mad. If you visit the site and give it your personal information the chances are that you will be bombarded with unwanted junk email until hell freezes over," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "There's no evidence to reassure people that they will really receive a gift card - and as the people behind this website have already proven themselves prepared to send unsolicited spam, this is probably more of a trick than a treat."
There's not much to do to remain protected in front of this new spam campaign but you should ignore the messages coming from untrusted or unknown sources as well as avoid publishing your private details on unverified websites.