ID Theft, Lottery Schemes Make BBB’s List of 2010 Scams, Rip-Offs

While small-business owners and other consumers were struggling in 2010 to make ends meet, scammers saw a profitable year with pulling off old, proven tricks and adding new ones to their repertoire of swindles.

The Better Business Bureau recently released its top 10 scams and rip-offs, and following, in no particular order, is the tally of schemes that swept the United States in 2010:

Job Hunter Scams – Scams…

China’s E-Commerce Development Takes Nosedive

More than half of Chinese web users believe online transactions are unsafe, which has had a significant negative impact on China’s e-commerce development, according to industry experts.

The China Internet Network Information Center said a recent survey found 50.3 percent of Chinese Internet consumers said they do not believe in making…

Phishers Use UPS, FedEx as Bait to Hook Consumers

Consumers have reported receiving emails claiming to be from UPS and FedEx, warning them that a package went undelivered and asking for information, WalletPop reports.

“While the rest of us are pulling the decorations out of the attic, scammers are blowing the dust off of their tried and true holiday scams,” said Edward Johnson, BBB President and CEO, in a statement. “We can all help…

2010: The Year of the Phish

Malware has hit an all-time high, with 95 billion phishing emails projected to be in circulation this year alone, according to Symantec.

It is not only large corporations that are affected anymore: According to Internet security provider Webroot, this multimillion-dollar criminal activity impacts businesses of all sizes.

So, how can your…

US-CERT Warns of Holiday Season Scams, Malware Campaigns

Consumers should be extra cautious when receiving unsolicited emails this upcoming holiday season as they could be part of phishing scams or malware campaigns, the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team warns.

These campaigns may include electronic greeting cards infested with malware, or requests for charitable contributions that could be phishing scams. Consumers should also beware of screensavers or other forms of media that may contain malware, and online…

Most Likely to Fall for Phishing Scams? Young Women

Young women are most likely to fall victim to online scams, according to new research published by Internet security expert knowthenet.org.uk.

A survey of more than 2,000 Internet users measured individuals’ ability to detect and respond to seven types of online-scam scenario, ranging from spotting bogus social-networking sites to testing how consumers respond to competition…

Phishing Scam Nets Drivers’ Licenses in New Zealand

The New Zealand Transport Agency is offering to waive the fee for a replacement driver’s license for victims of a phishing scam.

A widespread email, claiming to be from the NZTA services team, was recently sent to customers who were asked to type in their license details on a spoofed NZTA website.

The agency said Wednesday those who entered their personal details onto the bogus website…

Irish Government Warns Citizens of Revenue Phishing Attack

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland has warned about a fraudulent email purporting as communication from the revenue commissioner seeking personal information, including passport details from taxpayers, according to SiliconRepublic.

The email, which links to an authentic-looking revenue commissioners website, comes with the subject line “You are eligible to receive a tax refund!”

“The email asks the recipient to submit personal details, including passport information,” the…

Typosquatting Directs Italian Cellphone Users to Phishing Site

Customers of an Italian bank have been lured by phishers who baited them with promises of cellphone-airtime credits, according to Mathew Maniyara on Symantec’s Connect blog.

The phishing site spoofed the login page of a popular Italian bank. After typing in the login credentials, the phishing page asked the customer to select his or her cellphone service providers. After the service provider was chosen, the page…

New Sly, Security Threat Discovered

Finnish network solutions provider Stonesoft Corporation has discovered a new security threat called Advanced Evasion Techniques, which can circumvent current network security devices undetected.

Advanced Evasion Techniques can also transport already-known malware or phishing programs, worms and viruses, which otherwise would be detectable and stoppable by network security systems.

Stonesoft has reported the threat posed by these Advanced Evasion Techniques to the national computer security incident…