[MLUG] Fraudulent Websites for Hurricane Katrina Victims

[Jerry Gamblin <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

I sent this out at work this morning and I though I'd share it with
you to pass on to your users and for your own information.


We have received information indicating that Internet websites are
being created that could be used to lure unwary users into visiting
potentially malicious web sites.

Relief and charity efforts for the victims of Hurricane Katrina began
immediately after the hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast area.
Shortly thereafter, web sites began to appear which were designed to
defraud unsuspecting users. Some of the activities include soliciting
donations for seemingly charitable purposes, attempting to collect
personal information through Phishing scams and also spreading malware
to unsuspecting users. Over the past few days, domain names that
redirect users to malicious web sites have appeared online, in
addition to email scams requesting donations for those impacted by the
hurricane. While some of these sites and messages may be legitimate,
many are not. At the time of this bulletin, please be aware that the
following domains are reported to be suspicious and should not be
visited:

www.katrinahelp.com 

www.katrinacleanup.com 

www.katrinarelief.com 

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and additional domains
may continue to appear.

In addition to fraudulent web sites, opportunists may use this event
as a vehicle for other types of online attacks. For example, email
messages that claim to contain attachments with photos, video, or
other information about Hurricane Katrina may actually contain
viruses, worms, or other malaria.

We recommend that staff be advised to:

* Validate the relief fund or charity through a known reliable entity.
Please refer to the FEMA website for a list of reputable disaster
relief resources for Hurricane Katrina.

* When a message containing a request for donations for these victims
appears, do not respond unless you are certain it is a valid message.

* Avoid visiting un-trusted web sites. 

* Avoid opening email messages and attachments that claim to contain
video, photos, or other information relating to relief solicitation
for Hurricane Katrina.

* Follow standard best practices for email and web browsing security.



-- 
Thanks,

Jerry Gamblin

_______________________________________________
members mailing list
EMAIL:PROTECTED
http://mlug.missouri.edu/mailman/listinfo/members