One user from the UK has already lost 2,750 GBP ($4,367)

Nov 16, 2012 10:16 GMT  ·  By

After being tipped off by a victim, security researchers have investigated a shady courier company that’s being utilized in a scheme designed to trick internauts into handing over money.

According to Sophos experts, the scam begins on Facebook, where victims are contacted by an attractive woman who attempts to convince them to pay a certain amount of money via Western Union for a package.

At first glance, the courier company in charge of delivering the package, TNS24, appears to be legitimate. They have a website, tsn24.com, which is full of images of planes, trucks and even ships that bare their logo.

However, on a closer inspection, it becomes clear that their logo is photoshopped onto the trucks, planes and ships.

The TNS24 website also displays the testimonies of content customers. In reality, their pictures are most likely taken from various websites without their consent.

The firm's contact information reveals that it is based in the United Kingdom, but its domain details show that the site is actually registered in Lagos, Nigeria.

The victim that has contacted Sophos has lost a total of 2,750 GBP ($4,367), which means that the scammers might have made a serious profit if they managed to convince enough users to wire them money.

There’s a very important lesson to be learned here. First of all, beware of online dating scams or any other plot that begins with an attractive man/woman promising you all sorts of things in return for money or information.

Secondly, beware of shady courier companies, especially this TNS24. Cybercriminals often launch campaigns in which they rely on the reputation of a legitimate firm to spread malware and promote their malicious sites.

However, it seems that creating a company “from the ground up” is also not an issue as long as profit can be made.

Photo Gallery (3 Images)

Scammers add their logo on plane by using Photoshop
Scammers add their logo on truck by using PhotoshopScammers add their logo on ship by using Photoshop
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