Top Web Scams of the Decade

September 2, 2010 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Exploits involving Russian women, Nigerian scams and fake job offers top list of creative ploys used by cybercriminals

With 2010 drawing to a close, PandaLabs, Panda Security’s anti-malware laboratory, has released a ranking of the most widespread scams on the Web from the past 10 years. These include the infamous Nigerian scam, ploys involving beautiful foreign women and money mule schemes based on too-good-to-be-true job offers.

According to Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs, “As with all the classic scams that predate the Internet, many of the numerous users that fall for these tricks and lose their money are reticent to report the crime. If recovering the stolen money was difficult in the old days, it is even harder now because criminals’ tracks are often lost across the Web. The best defense is to learn how to identify these scams and avoid taking the bait.”

Typically, these scams follow a similar pattern: Cybercriminals make initial contact with their victim through e-mail or on a social network. The intended victim is then asked to respond by e-mail, telephone, fax or some other channel. Once the user takes the bait, the criminals will attempt to gain their victim’s trust, finding an excuse to ask for money.

The most frequent scams identified by PandaLabs over the last 10 years, based on their distribution and the frequency, are as follows: Read more

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