PHISHING ATTACKS TARGETING MYSPACE.COM USERS

06/15/06—The FBI has become aware of phishing attacks targeting users of the popular social networking web site, www.myspace.com (MySpace).

These attacks have come in the form of a bulletin titled "CHECK OUT these old school pictures...." When a user clicks on the provided link to view the pictures, his or her web browser is directed to a screen that is an exact reproduction of the MySpace login screen. However, this offer and its corresponding web site are not affiliated with MySpace. These attacks may be a vector to introduce Malware—such as a Trojan virus—to steal financial information from recipients. And while MySpace users do not typically store financial information on their personal pages, phishers may be gambling that the login information for users' MySpace accounts is the same for other accounts at financial institutions, online auction web sites, or online payment systems.

Consumers should be very cautious when providing login information to web sites they did not directly visit. CONSUMERS ARE FURTHER ADVISED AGAINST USING THE SAME USER NAMES AND PASSWORDS FOR THEIR VARIOUS ONLINE ACCOUNTS.