Fw: New virus warns Snopes.com

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----- Original Message ----- From: Joyce Hudson

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Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 9:20 PM

Subject: New virus warns Snopes.com

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Home --> Computers --> Virus Hoaxes & Realities --> FTC Complaint

FTC Complaint

Virus: FTC Complaint. Status: Real virus. Example: [Collected via e-mail, October 2007]

Dear Name, A complaint has been filled against you and the company you are affiliated to by Mr. Hanson and sent to Federal Trade Comission by fax,in witch he's claiming that he has been cheated by you and your company in paying a greater ammount of money than the one appearing on the invoice you gave him for using your services. The complaint states he contacted your company on MON, 22 OCT 2007, trying to solve this situation without interference from any Governmental Institution , but your company refused to take action. On WED, 24 OCT 2007, the complaint was sent by fax to Federal Trade Commission and we forwarded it to Internal Revenue Service and Better Business Bureau. Complaint was filled against :Name :Company : If you feel that this message has been sent to you in error or if you have any questions regarding the next steps of this process, please download the original complaint by clicking the link below : http://ftc.gov/fraud/complaints/24_oct_2007_george_hanson.doc Please take knowledge of the complaint's content and complete the form at the bottom of forward it to fraudcomplaint@.... Bruce onComplaint OfficerFederal Trade Commission,Fraud Department Origins: In October 2007, a virus circulated in an attachment to an e-mail purporting to have come from the Fraud Department of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The "complaint" e-mail bore the address of frauddep@... and displayed the FTC's government seal. Merely opening the e-mail doesn't appear to trigger the virus' payload, but opening its attachment or clicking on any of the links it contains does. Says the FTC of the computer virus being spread in October 2007 in its name:

A bogus email is circulating that says it is from the Federal Trade Commission, referencing a "complaint" filed with the FTC against the email's recipient. The email includes links and an attachment that download a virus. As with any suspicious email, the FTC warns recipients not to click on links within the email and not to open any attachments. The spoof email includes a phony sender's address, making it appear the email is from "frauddep@..." and also spoofs the return-path and

reply-to fields to hide the email’s true origin. While the email includes the FTC seal, it has grammatical errors, misspellings, and incorrect syntax. Recipients should forward the email to spam@... and then delete it. Emails sent to that address are kept in the FTC's spam database to assist with investigations. Simply opening the email does not appear to cause harm. However, it is likely that anyone who has opened the email’s attachment or clicked on the links has downloaded the virus on their computer, and should run an anti-virus program. The virus appears to install a "key logger" that could potentially grab passwords and account numbers. More information about bogus emails, phishing, and virus protection is available at www.OnGuardOnline.gov. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,600 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm. In June 2007, another fake e-mail warning presented as a complaint acknowledgement from the FTC also caused consumers to download malware to their computers. Said the FTC of the June 2007 "warning":

Consumers, including corporate and banking executives, appear to be targets of a bogus e-mail supposedly sent by the Federal Trade Commission but actually sent by third parties hoping to install spyware on computers. The bogus e-mail poses as an acknowledgment of a complaint filed by the recipient, and includes an attachment. Consumers who open the attachment to this e-mail unleash malicious spyware onto their computer. The agency warns consumers who get this e-mail that purports to be from the FTC: — Don't open the attachment. — Delete the e-mail. — Empty the deleted items folder. The hoax e-mail is personalized, and contains the name of the recipient and their business. The bogus message explains how the complaint will be used, who will have access to it and states, "Attached you will find a copy of your complaint. Please print a hard copy of the complaint for your records in the upcoming investigation." Opening the attachment downloads the malicious spyware. Consumers can learn more about protecting themselves from malicious spyware and bogus e-mails at OnGuardOnline.gov, a Web site created by the FTC in partnership with other federal agencies and the technology industry to help consumers stay safe online. The site features modules on spyware and phishing, at http://onguardonline.gov/spyware.html and http://onguardonline.gov/phishing.html. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.shtm. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,600 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Last updated: 30 October 2007

The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/ftc.aspUrban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2007by Barbara and P. Mikkelson This material may not be reproduced without permission.

Sources:

Reuters. "Fake FTC E-Mail s Dangerous Virus."

30 October 2007.

No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.15/1101 - Release Date: 10/31/2007 10:06 AM