Fresh E-mail Scam Abuses Name of CFPB

Officials of Better Business Bureau (BBB) warn that scam e-mails, which are circulating online, pose as communications from CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) as they target unwitting entrepreneurial organizations, published sacbee.com dated March 12, 2012.

It maybe mentioned that CFPB serves as an agency of US federation and is chiefly responsible for maintaining the security of consumers.

The fake electronic mail captioned "Financial misconduct in your company" and addressing the recipient as Business Manager, tells him that CFPB has accepted one consumer complaint regarding multiple incidences about financial malpractice by his organization. And since CFPB is continuously engaged in halting deceitful, unjust, and exploitative practices or acts, it therefore requires the user's opinion about the given client grievance Report ID#955167, the e-mail states.

Thereafter, the e-mail politely warns that failure of the reader to reply in 14-days will prompt the federal agency to investigate his organization's operations.

But, CFPB states that it did not dispatch these e-mails, adding that they're scam messages although they appear genuine due to the correct address and logo of CFPB included.

BBB, in the meantime, cautions that e-mail fraudsters have again begun scaring recipients so they'll follow the web-link provided inside the scam electronic mail. But, once they do so for accessing the so-called grievance, they'll actually land on an intermediate website, which pulls down and installs a PC-virus.

Thus BBB advises that anyone receiving the e-mail must erase the message wholly without accessing any web-links provided.

Disturbingly, according to security experts, it's because of the above kinds of e-mail attacks having malware-laced messages that there's been an increase in malicious programs online. Their statement receives support when Symantec the security company reveals within its February 2012 report that there's been one e-mail-borne virus within 274.0 e-mails or 0.37% malware-laden e-mails within the entire e-mail traffic during February 2012, causing a 0.03% rise from January 2012.

Eventually, alongside CFPB, BBB itself was recently targeted, also in USA, when consumers and organizations received malware-laced fake e-mails reportedly having bbb.org as the sender's address. Those e-mails too notified receivers that someone lodged a complaint against their companies so they must reply ASAP.

Related article: Fark.com Files Suit against Suspected Hacker from Fox13

» SPAMfighter News - 3/17/2012