CDC Warns of H1N1 Virus Email Phishing Identity Theft Scam
As further proof that identity thieves will pocket advantage of any opportunity for identity theft – including the H1N1 Virus – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting on its Affect Related Hoaxes and Rumors page that it has received reports of fraudulent H1N1 Virus emails referencing a held “CDC sponsored Disorder Vaccination Program” that are really attempts to gain private in rank to commit identity theft.
The CDC reports that the fake email messages attempting to gain in rank for identity theft – a process known as “phishing” – questions users to make a “private H1N1 (swine flu) Vaccination Profile on the cdc.gov website” and that “every person that has reached the age of 18 has to have his/her private Vaccination Profile on the cdc.gov site.”
But, the CDC has NOT implemented a so-called disorder vaccination program for the H1N1 Virus requiring registration on www.cdc.gov, and warns that users clicking on the “Make Private Profile” link in the email risk having malicious code installed on their system that could steal private in rank and lead to identity theft.
The CDC also reminds users to pocket the following steps to reduce the risk of being a victim of the H1N1 Virus phishing attack that could lead to identity theft:
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Do not follow unsolicited links and do not open or respond to unsolicited email messages.
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Use caution when visiting un-trusted websites.
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Use caution when entering private in rank online.
An example of the H1N1 Virus phishing email can be seen at www.cdc.gov/hoaxes_rumors.html.
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