The purveyors of online scams and malware have stooped to imitating the World Health Organization, hoping to take advantage of readers spooked by Ebola, security researchers and officials warn. "Scammers play off emotions," said Tyler Andrew, CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington, in a notice issued by the Washington state attorney general. "Like other disasters, the Ebola scare will generate numerous fundraising opportunities."
Do you normally get unsolicited messages from strangers about Ebola? And do they normally come with suspicious attachments? Probably not — so treat any such emails with extreme caution. Online security firm Websense has already detected a number that contain viruses and malware files, one purporting to come from the WHO. You should also be careful when donating money: Fundraisers and charities can easily be fake, so do a quick search on them if you'd like to contribute.
IN-DEPTH
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