Watch Out For Halloween Scams + Madoff Mask?

As with any other holiday or special events, Halloween is a time of year for a significant increase in online scams.

There will be fake e-cards, fake videos, and fake links on search engine results. Scammers will use timely keywords such as “Funny Halloween Costumes, Harvey Milk, Pumpkin Carving Stencils, candy, Pokemon, and McDonalds Monopoly online” to spread their evil deeds.

ESET warns netizens to be on the look out for the following:

1. Halloween related keywords are likely to bring up some malicious links in search engines. Watch out for scarewares and other malwares that display bogus security warnings on your computer.
2. Fake e-cards will arrive in your inbox with links such as, “Funniest Video Ever”. Needless to say, you will find no funny video. Make sure the e-card is indeed from your friend or family. Check the ‘from’ address and that it is addressed to you specifically. You will not get a legitimate e-card from “a friend”, “a family member”, “an admirer”, or anyone else not explicitly stated by name.
3. The next attack will be the fake video. This is the scariest, the grossest, the funniest, the freakiest… “Hey check this out” and so on. In most cases these links will either tell you that you need a video codec or start a fake scan and tell you that your computer is infected, or both.
4. When you are prompted that you need a new codec, it is likely a scam. Read the article on List of My Favorite Software or Watch TV Online to get information on which codecs to install, so you never have to install codecs again.
5. Even if you get an email or tweet or IMs from a friend you know, it may not be safe. More and more, people’s social networking accounts are being hijacked. If the message you receive seems suspicious, make sure that it is from your friend.
6. Twitter is already full of malicious and advertisement links. It’s made easier by the use of URL shorteners like bit.ly. Expect an increased amount of malicious links.
7. Make sure to keep your operating system and anti-virus updated.

If you’re not comfortable with all the security stuff, see this article to protect yourself and your computer.

Bernie Madoff Masks Flying Off Shelves

One of the hottest sellers this year is the Bernie Madoff mask! Probably the idol of many scammers out there — except ‘getting caught and serving a 150-year prison sentence’ part — Bernie Madoff is the hottest thing this Halloween.

Yet, it is predicted that Bernie Madoff still won’t beat Michael Jackson, who is also a popular subject of online scams. The original thriller custom will be the top seller this year.

Happy and safe Halloween!