Greeting Card Industry and FBI Warn Consumers of E-Card Scam

The Greeting Card Industry and the FBI have warned consumers about an e-card scam as many email messages are making their rounds. The modus operandi of the cyber crooks masquerading as the players from the greeting card industry is sending a phishing mail with subject as a “friend” or “classmate” and taking users to their fraudulent website when clicking a link in theemail. Generally such e-mails originate from unnamed individuals with andintention of installing a malicious code on the computer of the user who clicks the link or extracting more personal details when he visits the fraudulent website. “If you get an e-mail claiming you’ve received an e-card from ageneric ‘friend’ or ‘family member’rather than from someone whosename or personal e-mail address you recognize, the e-mail is fraudulent and should be immediately deleted,” says John Hambrick, Unit Chief of the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center in a statement. “Do not follow any of the instructions in the e-mail or click on any link.” The Greeting Cards Association has issued some guidelines to consumers who want to know thelegitimacy of the e-card notice. For example, the receiver of the e-mail has to open a new window of the browser instead of clickingthe link in the e-mail. Then the user must check “e-card pick up”area after manually typing the URL. If you are unable to retrievethe e-card, you will know the notification was a scam, and that it should be deleted. The Association also suggested the consumers who receive thesefraudulent e-mails file a complaintwith the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov.