Malicious Internet Pharmacy Campaign Abuses Google Brand

According to the MessageLabs Intelligence Report by Symantec, a new pharmacy themed spam run is using the brand name of Google while attempting at wooing Web-surfers. The spammer apparently is aiming at advertising a pharmacy that serves online while claiming that the Internet giant accredited it.

Said Senior Analyst Paul Wood of MessageLabs Intelligence at Symantec Hosted Services, the spam campaign was certainly a case of brand-hijacking: Google didn't endorse any pharmaceutical website. ITPRO published this on February 16, 2011.'

Astonishingly, an e-mail marketing a pill, which stops hair-loss, as also leads onto a blog associated with a widely used free blogging website, carries Google's brand name; however, it's part of a scam. Recipients clicking on the web-link would land on the spam blog that shows text as also web-links leading onto a pharma website.

Stated Wood, the above kind of brand seizure was one of several severe hazards that popular brands encountered which could damage their reputation since people getting such e-mail might misleadingly relate it to the brand. ITPRO published this.

Meanwhile, there's an image in the spam mail that has Google's logo but the double "o" in the spelling are substituted with tablets of a different shape. Senior Software Engineer Nick Johnston at Symantec notes that the particular e-mail's text wrongly asserts that Google introduced a "Pharma interface" with more text, having blue-colored highlights, following, which seems same as a link. MediaPost published this on February 18, 2011.

Stated Wood, possibly, the spammer desired for cashing in on the widely familiar name of Google for making his products appear genuine. ITPRO published this.

Recently during February 16-17, 2011, MessageLabs stopped some 250 blogs of spammers similar to the above, according to Mr. Johnston. MediaPost reported this. Also, during February, 2010, Google revealed a blog message in which it stated that it would implement advertising standards for Internet pharmacies.

Stated a Google spokesperson, Google had on its records instances of combating scams of the aforementioned kind, while the company was suggesting that Web-surfers too should cautiously examine Internet offers, which seemed unbelievably true, prior to feeding any information. ITPRO reported this.

Related article: Malicious Scripts with Zero-byte Padding can Pass Undetected

» SPAMfighter News - 2/25/2011