BBB Warns Consumers to be Wary of Michael Jackson Scams
First Wave of Attempts to Piggyback on Pop Icon’s Death Begin to Circulate the Internet
Austin, TX – June 26, 2009 – The sudden death yesterday of pop superstar Michael Jackson continues to lead news coverage throughout the country and dominate Internet search engines. As of this morning, Google Trends lists seven different Michael Jackson related searches in their top 20 search patterns. As with any world-wide event, this may leave the door open for scammers and spammers to come of the woodwork.
“Consumers need to be on the lookout for suspicious e-mails that reference Michael Jackson’s death,” said Carrie A. Hurt, President and CEO of BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas. “These spam e-mails can mislead consumers and be very dangerous to their personal computers. The best thing to do is just delete the message.”
Only eight hours after Jackson’s death, IT security firm, Sophos PLC, identified one spam e-mail message circulating throughout consumers’ mailboxes with the following message:
“Vital information after the death of Michael Jackson’s I really need some one trusted & secretive to speak with with informations I have in my possession before its too late Kindly reply me and I will immediately respond back, Its for just secret between both of us.”
At first glance, these messages seem harmless, but they can contain malware or malicious code which could infect and cause damage to personal computers. BBB warns consumers that other messages which promise pictures of Michael Jackson’s death, lost videos of his secret shows or refunds from ticket purchases to his upcoming shows at London’s O2 Arena should be treated with extreme caution.
BBB also warns that due to Jackson’s investment in his personal foundation and support of 39 charities, scam artists may try to fool consumers into donating money to a false charity in hopes of running off with the cash.
BBB offers the following tips for dealing with unwanted spam e-mails and charity solicitations:
- As soon as you see it, delete it. Giving in to your curiosity could put your computer at risk.
- Never respond to spam. Doing so will only confirm to the person who sent you the e-mail that your e-mail address is “live,” which sets you up for future spam messages.
- Check with BBB. Don’t be led in by an impressive name. When an unfamiliar organization contacts you via e-mail to donate to their cause, check them out first at www.bbb.org.
- Have two e-mails. Signing up for a primary and secondary e-mail address allows you filter e-mails between people you know and people you don’t know.
- Don’t give out your e-mail address. Be suspicious of e-mails requesting you verify your e-mail address. You may not know how it will be used.
- Never purchase anything advertised by an unsolicited e-mail. Deals offered through these e-mails are perfect lures into a scam.
For more information on avoiding e-mail scams, visit www.bbb.org.