Consumer Threat Alerts

Stay informed about the most dangerous downloads, poisonous pop-ups, and suspicious spam so you can stay ahead of the hackers, and keep your PC and personal information safe.

McAfee Issues Pinterest Scam Alert, Warns Users to “Pin with Caution”

Pinterest users should be careful when visiting a link that uses catchy titles like “Free Gift Card” “Shocking video” or “Free Giveaways” In March, McAfee Labs reported a new wave of social scams targeting Pinterest users that could compromise their personal information. Today, McAfee Labs warns consumers that ready-to-use toolkits, that make it easy for Read more…

Tags: Consumer Threats Alert, Free gift card scam, Free giveaway scam, McAfee, mobile scam, online survey scam, Pin scams, pinterest scam, toolkit scam

Mac Users Face Growing Malware Threats

Apple users should be on the lookout for fake antivirus software and other malware targeting the Mac platform, McAfee warns While it used to be that Mac users felt somewhat insulated from the variety of malware threats circulating the web, cybercriminals have noted the growing popularity of Apple products and are now distributing malware aimed Read more…

Tags: Apple, consumer threat alert, fake anti-virus software, iPad, iphone, mac, malware

Osama bin Laden Death Scams Haunt the Internet

Be wary of unsolicited emails and messages related to Osama bin Laden, McAfee warns  Cyber scammers are using the high-profile news of Osama bin Laden’s death to distribute dangerous emails and messages related to the incident. So far, McAfee Labs™ has seen spam emails that claim to have confirmation of bin Laden’s death—or survival—as well Read more…

Tags: counter identity theft, Cybercrime, Data Protection, global threat intelligence, identity protection, identity theft, malware, social networking, spam

Fake-Alert Scam Targets Mac Users

One of the most prevalent families of recent Trojans is called fake alerts. These Trojans generate fake warning screens that look like they were generated by legitimate security or anti-malware software. The majority of malware within this family attempts to con users by convincing them that their systems are at risk and that they should purchase Read more…

Tags: Apple, Cybercrime, Data Protection, Endpoint Protection, Family Safety, global threat intelligence, identity fraud, identity protection, identity theft, Mac OSX, malware, security

Easter Bunny Delivers Basket of Malware

Avoid clicking on links and images in malware-laden emails, McAfee warns Computer users around the world received phony Easter greetings with links to malware on Monday, according to research by McAfee Labs™. Cybercrooks often take advantage of current events to grab computer users’ attention, and this time they are using the upcoming Christian holiday to Read more…

Tags: botnet, Consumer, counter identity theft, Cybercrime, easter, Family Safety, malware, McAfee Consumer Threat Alert, scam

Japan Earthquake Scams Spreading Quickly

Users should beware of phony donation requests and dangerous links, McAfee warns Just hours after a devastating 9.0 earthquake hit northeast Japan on Friday, scammers were already busy designing online scams to trick consumers out of their information and money. McAfee has already uncovered phishing emails related to the disaster and a suspected scam site erected Read more…

Tags: japan earthquake malware, japan earthquake safe donation, japan earthquake scams, japan tsunami scams, McAfee Consumer Threat Alert

Holidays Are High Time for Cybercrime

Consumers should watch out for the 12 scams of Christmas, McAfee warns A season that should be merry can be downright scary when cybercriminals get their way over the holidays. This is why McAfee is warning consumers to beware of the 12 scams of Christmas. From taking advantage of our desire to give with fake Read more…

Tags: 12 Scams of Christmas, McAfee Consumer Threat Alert, online scams, smishing

Scareware Makes Cybercrooks Hundreds of Millions Each Year

Fake antivirus and anti-spyware software, or “scareware”, now represents 23% of all malware in circulation, McAfee warns Forget ghosts and goblins, what you should really be scared of this Halloween is “scareware.” It’s a trick that cyberscammers have been using to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars each year – and it’s no treat Read more…

Tags: consumer threat alert, fake anti-virus software, scareware

Is Your Computer Being Controlled by a Cybercrook?

McAfee warns that cybercriminals can now use social media and malicious websites to create and manage botnets Cybercrooks have long been using botnets, or networks of remotely-controlled, infected computers, for malicious purposes. Now it is possible for cybercriminals to infect computers via dangerous websites, and control computers using social networking sites such as Twitter and Read more…

Tags: botnets, social media

New “Here You Have” Worm Delivers Unwanted Gift

Global mass mailing worm masquerades as business message but links to malware, McAfee Labs warns  A new Internet worm dubbed “Here You Have” is streaming into worldwide inboxes, offering a dangerous payload, according to McAfee Labs. The worm, which travels via spam email with the subject line of “Here you have,” or “Just for you,” Read more…

Tags: Here you have worm, mass mailing worm