Millions fooled by 'scareware' scams on the web, says Symantec report

[danrok]

Millions of people have been tricked into installing fake anti-virus software on their computers that actually makes them more vulnerable to fraud and identity theft, a leading report into online crime revealed yesterday.

Cybercriminals are profiting from the practice, which is known as “scareware”. Users are fooled into clicking on to authentic-looking websites that promise to clear their computers of viruses. In fact, these sites dupe people into handing over their credit card details or allow fraudsters to steal from their computers directly.

Millions fooled by 'scareware' scams on the web, says Symantec report - Times Online