Scammers Set to Score at UEFA EURO 2012

The final match of the 14th edition of the UEFA European Championship isn’t until July 1, 2012 and already spammers are trying to score a goal.

Symantec Security Response has intercepted a 419 spam attack targeting UEFA EURO 2012. The scam message is attached as a PDF file called UEFA.pdf. This is a typical 419 scam message that says that the reader has won an UEFA EURO 2012 Cup promotion lottery. In the rest of the message, the spammers explain in detail how the recipient’s email address reached them and how it was selected as a winner out of huge number of other participants. Below is a screenshot of that spam message.

The recipient is then asked to send the winning identification numbers by filling in the UEFA EURO 2012 online documentation form, which asks for personal details such as name, address, age, occupation, and phone number. One interesting line in the message says that the email addresses are collected from reputable companies that represent brands in their domains (the company names are intentionally blurred). Users should be cautious of such bogus emails that lure readers into sharing personal information.

Norton experts are advising people to use best practices when receiving information, including:

• Make sure the URL of the site linked in the message corresponds to the name of the company that the message purports to be from. For example, the website “WellsFargo.com” is not the same as “my.wells.farrgo.bank.com.”
• Check the message or email for spelling and grammar mistakes or other indications that it was not written by a professional. Such traits are hallmarks of phishing emails
• Never click on a link within an email, IM or social networking site. Instead, re-type the address into your browser
• Make sure your security software includes anti-phishing and identity protection features, and is always up-to-date
• Don’t be tempted by false hope – If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Evaluate the information you come across – all that glitters isn’t gold so don’t let your curiosity overcome common sense. Norton Internet Security and Norton 360 offer strong firewalls to protect your data from hackers, spam and other online threats.

For more information on the above, please proceed to Symantec’s Security Response blog post here: http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/scammers-set-kick-uefa-euro-2012

Symantec predicts a rise in UEFA EURO 2012 scams and other types of attacks over the next few days. We advise that readers exercise caution when opening unsolicited emails related to UEFA EURO 2012.