Scams are in the air...this Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day
around the corner, many of the single people return to thoughts of
finding love online. But while their head is on the online clouds,
they should know that cyberscammers may be there with them, looking
to take advantage of their vulnerable heart. From fake online dating
profiles used to fool people, to phony eCards with links to malware,
be aware of cybercrooks, who can pull on your heart strings to try
and get what they want-your money and sensitive information.

To help people stay safe
on Valentine's Day and year-round, here is a look at some of the
top romance scams and threats, followed by safety tips in honor of
your heart:

style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Online Dating Scams-Millions of
people use online dating sites to broaden their networks and meet
potential mates, but not everyone on these sites are sincere-some are
scammers hoping to lure with false affection, with the goal of gaining
trust, and eventually, money.

• In a typical scam, the cybercrook
  will create a fake online dating profile, complete with attractive
  photos. Then, they reach out to people one-on-one via e-mail, chat,
  text or phone, trying to establish a relationship and gain trust. Once
  trust is established, they may ask for money for a plane ticket to
  visit, or give you a sob story. For instance, the scammer may say that
  they have a life threatening illness, or need money to pay rent. Either
  way, they play on your emotions to get what they want.

• Military Ploy-In this version of an
  online dating scam, the cybercrook pretends to be a soldier and strikes
  up a relationship with a female online dater. Once a relationship is
  established-perhaps over weeks or months-the scammer asks the victim to
  apply for military leave so he can visit, and fill out official-looking
  military paperwork, for a fee, which he promises will be refunded. Some
  scammers even ask for money for medical supplies, or claim they need
  help to take care of a child.

• Mail Order Bride Scams-Traditional
  mail order bride services, where men pay to meet a foreign bride, have
  gone digital. New online sites offer users access to potential mates
  from around the world, for a monthly membership fee. The trouble is
  these sites provide fertile ground for scammers, who setup profiles and
  begin corresponding with users in the hopes of extracting money. The
  'bride' may say she needs money for tickets or a visa to come for a
  visit, and then never appears, or fakes a family emergency and asks the
  victim for monetary help.

• Love Exploits-These threats have you
  looking for love in all the wrong places-like dangerous websites
  designed to steal your information. One recent example of this is the
  Koobface worm, which targeted Match.com users by sending messages that
  appeared to be from other users, inviting them to look at photos and
  videos on a Match.com look-a-like site. When users tried to log in to
  the malicious site, it recorded their usernames and passwords and
  attempted to install a Trojan.

Another recent love
exploit was the 'KamaSutra PowerPoint' threat, which arrives via
spam, offering recipients a tantalizing PowerPoint show of sexual
positions. The PowerPoint slide deck itself is safe, but once
downloaded, it stealthily installs malware on your computer.

Valentine's Day Spam and
eCards—Scammers know that the holidays are the perfect time to send
out themed messages and eCards, knowing they will grab the attention
of the people. Spam messages with subject lines such as 'The Perfect
Valentine's Day Gift' may contain a link to a dangerous website
that asks for personal information. And, a message that appears to be
an eCard from a loved one could actually download malware on your
machine when you click on the link, leaving you with an infection,
rather than affection.

Although these romance
scams are quite common, there are some easy steps you can take to
avoid becoming a victim.

• When signing up for
  online dating, go with a well-known dating site and get referrals from
  friends on which sites they use

• Once signed up to a
  dating site, stay incognito for a while. That way, if you run into
  someone who's dishonest or makes you uncomfortable, you stay safe

• Design your dating
  profile with care-think about the image you want to project and never,
  under any circumstance, post personal information, such as your full
  name, address and phone number

• Vet potential dates by
  checking to see that their profile information matches other online
  information, such as their LinkedIn or Spokeo profile

• Never ever click on
  links in e-mails or eCards from people you do not know

• When you receive an
  eCard, check the destination address of the link to make sure it is
  going to a legitimate eCard site — if you don't trust it, do not click
  it

• To help protect you
  from malware, use a comprehensive security software, such as McAfee
  Total Protection, and keep it up-to-date