Rogue Pharmacy Sites Advertised in LinkedIn Emails

Emails allegedly coming from LinkedIn to notify the recipient that someone has sent him a message hide a malicious plan to advertise a pharmacy site that commercializes illegal or shady products.

“[Name] has sent you a message. Click the link below to read this message in your browser. [Link] View/reply to this message. Don't want to receive e-mail notifications? Adjust your message settings,” reads the phony email provided by Hoax Slayer.

If the recipient clicks on the link, he is taken to a classic pharmacy scheme website where he is offered fabulous deals on some medical products, some of which are illegal or can only be obtained with a doctor’s prescription.

Pharmacy scams are not uncommon, but it seems that they’re highly successful, otherwise the crooks that launch these campaigns would abandon them and reorient to something more efficient.

Since many of the rogue websites don’t appear in search engine results, cybercriminals have to come up with other ways of promoting them. This is where these spam emails come in.

Also, the chances for someone to click on a link from an email that offers medical products may be slim and that’s why the masterminds that run the plots rely on the popularity of social media websites, shocking stories and anything else they believe can raise someone’s curiosity.

Users are advised never to purchase medication online, except when it’s necessary and the virtual pharmacy is a trusted one.

In this case, you must make sure that you are on the correct website by checking its address in the browser’s address bar. Since many shady drugstores replicate precisely legitimate ones, the domain’s name is the only clue that tells the real one apart from a fake.

Finally, refrain from handing out sensitive information online. Document a website before making a transaction and always check for the padlock symbol next to the browser’s address bar, which indicates the presence of a safe and secure connection.