So the same scam has been sent to me again (well, the Adobe version this time, not the Skype one). This scam has been around often and long enough (already back in 2010!, prior to them stealing my identity for one of the scam runs) that it has a Snopes page.
The updated spam, which I received a couple of days ago, again invents new versions of the adobe products that don’t exist. This time it’s Adobe 2012, and they are “charging” (i.e. stealing your details) for Adobe reader – which is always free.
This is what the scam looks like (and please don’t go to the links in the scam unless you know what you are doing) – although the mailout redirect goes through a third party, so the links have a landing page which collects usage information before sending you to the scam landing page. The scam landing page then takes you to the scam page proper that takes your money.
[sourcecode language=”html”]
INTRODUCING UPGRADED ADOBE ACROBAT READER 2012
Adobe is pleased to announce new version upgrades for Adobe Acrobat Reader
http://www.adobe-upgrade-2012.com
Advanced features include:
– Collaborate across borders
– Create rich, polished PDF files from any application that prints
– Ensure visual fidelity
– Encrypt and share PDF files more securely
– Use the standard for document archival and exchange
To upgrade and enhance your work productivity today, go to:
http://www.adobe-upgrade-2012.com
Start downloading the update right now and let us know what you think about it.
We’re working on making Adobe Acrobat Reader better all the time !
Copyright 2011 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Adobe Systems Incorporated
343 Preston Street
Ottawa, ON K1S 1N4
Canada
[/sourcecode]
So the main difference that I’ve noticed with the scam is that this time they’ve used some extra money (also presumably stolen) to pay for the site whois to not be shown:
Domain Name:adobe-upgrade-2012.com Record created:11/29/2011 Record expired:11/29/2012 Domain servers in listed order: ns1.dns-diy.net ns2.dns-diy.net Administrat: name-- Domain ID Shield Service org-- Domain ID Shield Service CO., Limited country-- CN province-- Hong Kong city-- Hong Kong address-- 1102-1103,11/F,Kowloon Bldg.,555 Nathan Rd.,Mongkok,Kowloon postalcode-- 999077 telephone-- +852.22060092 fax-- +852.30030133 E-mail-- ad4561094151701@domainidshield.com Technical Contact: name-- Domain ID Shield Service org-- Domain ID Shield Service CO., Limited country-- CN province-- Hong Kong city-- Hong Kong address-- 1102-1103,11/F,Kowloon Bldg.,555 Nathan Rd.,Mongkok,Kowloon postalcode-- 999077 telephone-- +852.22060092 fax-- +852.30030133 E-mail-- ad4561094473302@domainidshield.com Billing Contact: name-- Domain ID Shield Service org-- Domain ID Shield Service CO., Limited country-- CN province-- Hong Kong city-- Hong Kong address-- 1102-1103,11/F,Kowloon Bldg.,555 Nathan Rd.,Mongkok,Kowloon postalcode-- 999077 telephone-- +852.22060092 fax-- +852.30030133 E-mail-- ad4561094473303@domainidshield.com Registrant Contact: name-- Domain ID Shield Service org-- Domain ID Shield Service CO., Limited country-- CN province-- Hong Kong city-- Hong Kong address-- 1102-1103,11/F,Kowloon Bldg.,555 Nathan Rd.,Mongkok,Kowloon postalcode-- 999077 telephone-- +852.22060092 fax-- +852.30030133 E-mail-- ad4561094539504@domainidshield.com
Despite this, it all does look very very similar and the one thing that cannot be hidden is the creation date of the URL. It is always a giveaway that if a website is contacting you unsolicited, and asks for your money from a web domain that has been put together in the last few days, they are up to no good.