Poker Players Targeted by Phishing
Attempts
Published: Friday, February 23, 2007
by PokerSourceOnline - Read the original
here
Internet security watchdog,
Websense Security Labs, issued a warning this week to
Party Poker customers regarding a series of phishing
attacks via e-mail.
Users have received fake e-mails that
appear to be from Party Poker, issuing an outdated warning
about the UIGEA. It then asks people to update their
usernames by clicking on a link which directs them to
a site that looks like Party Poker’s account login
screen. Of course, like any phishing attack, it is a
fake site designed to harvest poker account information
from unsuspecting players. The criminals who set up
the phishing site would then use that info to login
to the victims’ accounts and drain their bankrolls.
The main part of the e-mail message
reads as follows:
[i]Party Poker news!!!
Dear poker player,
Information for US and all over the World based customers
on the passing of the 'Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement
Act of 2006. On September 30, 2006, the United States
Congress passed The Safe Port Act.
That measure also contained certain
provisions known as the ‘Unlawful Internet Gambling
Enforcement Act of 2006’. On October 2, 2006, Party
Gaming made an announcement regarding the impact the
act would have on business when, as expected, it is
signed into law.
Please update your username:
[/i]
Fortunately, it is fairly easy to detect
that this e-mail did not really come from Party Poker.
First off, nothing in it makes sense. The information
enclosed is several months old and the grammar is poor.
Second, Party typical address players either by first
name or by screen name in e-mails, not simply as “poker
player,” a sign that the sender of the e-mail does
not have any sort of relationship with the recipient.
Finally, no online poker room would request that somebody
update their username because of the UIGEA.
Clues such as these can be used to ferret
out future phishing attempts, as well. If something
just does not seem right, go directly to the company’s
website or call for information. Do not click on a link
in the e-mail, as it will take you to a phony site.
If you do really need to update your account information,
just open your web browser, go directly to the company’s
home page, and login from there.
Originally published 5:02 PM Friday, February 23, 2007
