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New E-Mail Scheme Hijacks Your Webmail Account

by Warren Riddle on June 25, 2009 at 08:00 AM

Phishing scams involving hijacked accounts and the dissemination of phony links have recently appeared on Facebook and Twitter, but now that strategy is returning -- albeit in a creepy new way -- to its old stomping grounds: e-mail. A group of Net grifters has been breaking into browser-based e-mail accounts (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, or AOL Mail), and sending dubious messages to everyone in the account's contact list. According to The Washington Post, the messages typically include a link to an e-commerce site or a message asking that money be wired to a specific location.

The scheme can be particularly effective and dangerous because people typically don't hesitate to open a message from the recognized account of a known friend. The scam can be prevented, though, so it's important to protect your e-mail account information and to always be wary of opening links. If you're going to use a personal account for business or shopping, try to only use your own computer or gadget, as hackers can use keystroke loggers on public devices to steal logins and passwords. It's also important to fortify your e-mail passwords and to definitely change them up if you feel an account may have been compromised. For further in-depth tips on warding off scammers and protecting your personal information, check out our list of 15 Phishing Scams to Watch Out For. [From: The Washington Post]

Tags: hack, identity theft, IdentityTheft, keystroke logger, KeystrokeLogger, phishing, security, top

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