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Ocker Funeral Homes Warns of Spam Campaign Abusing Its Name

The company has nothing to do with the cybercriminal operation

Jan 20, 2014 19:56 GMT  ·  By
Malicious funeral announcements leverage the name of the Ocker Funeral Homes
   Malicious funeral announcements leverage the name of the Ocker Funeral Homes

Cybercriminals are still trying to distribute malware with the aid of fake funeral announcements that leverage the names of legitimate companies. The Ocker-Putman Funeral Homes in Arkansas has published an alert on its website to warn users of the spam campaign.

“If you have received an E Mail concerning the Amos Family please be advised this is SPAM and contains a VIRUS, delete immediately!The E Mail is in no way connected to Ocker-Putman Funeral Homes. We are sorry for the inconvenience,” the alert reads.

Last week, the Eubank Funeral Home issued a similar warning.

The malicious notifications inform recipients that a close friend has died. They instruct users to click on a link for more details. However, the link points to a malware-serving website.

So far, two variants of the scam emails have been spotted, but it’s possible that others will emerge soon. Barracuda Labs experts say that the website that serves the malware is currently offline, but it’s likely that the cybercriminals will restore it or set up a different one.

The spam run is powered by the Asprox botnet. The malware that’s being distributed is a Trojan designed to download other threats to infected devices.

If you’re a victim of this attack, scan your computer with an updated antivirus solution to make sure it’s not infected.

Check out what the spam emails look like:

Variant 1. “For this unprecedented event, we offer our deepest prayers of condolence and invite you to be present at the celebration of your friends life service on Thursday, January 17 2014 that will take place at Eubank Funeral Home at 11:00 a.m. Please find invitation and more detailed information about the farewell ceremony here.”

Variant 2. “The Amos Family. Funeral Announcement.

Hereby we want to share your sorrow for your dear friend who passed away on Friday, January 10, 2014. You are cordially invited to express your sympathy in memory of your friend at a celebration of life service that will be held on Monday, January 13, 2014 at the Ocker Funeral Home, Arkansas. Please find more detailed information about the memorial service here.”