Along with gale-force winds and the evacuation of New Orleans, Hurricane Gustav has brought with it a surge in phoney internet domain registrations, as fraudsters look to capitalise on possible disaster. More than 150 website addresses naming the hurricane, such as gustavvolunteers.com, have been registered since Saturday. Although some redirect visitors to the sites of legitimate charities, the majority feature "for sale" signs, which internet security professionals say are likely to be purchased by fraudsters.
The office of the governor-general of Louisiana, one of the states likely to be hit hardest by the hurricane, has warned citizens that bogus charities, chain emails and fraudulent websites were looking to take advantage of the situation. Internet sites claiming to be charities are soliciting donations and harvesting credit card and personal information, while others are simply looking to gain valid email addresses to be sold on to spam advertisers.
Emails claiming to come from banks are even telling customers they must provide their account information for "confirmation" purposes before leaving their homes as part of evacuation efforts. And by yesterday, website addresses like helpgustavvictims.com were being resold on the auction website eBay. A similar wave of internet-based frauds accompanied Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In the aftermath of the disaster, the US Department of Justice established a special task force to combat fraud targeting victims and donors; hundreds of people have been charged with crimes following its investigations.
Internet security systems have tightened considerably in recent years, with hardware makers and software vendors developing safer systems and end users showing greater vigilance. The result has been a slowing in returns for traditional spammers and virus makers. According to a report by the computer security firm Trend Micro, this has pushed internet-based fraudsters to refine their act, evolving to a more "social" model for online fraud.
New swindles see victims invited to take part by what appears to be their friends messaging them from social networking sites like Facebook. Some include phone numbers to dial, where human operators continue to act out the deception, gathering credit card and personal information. Cyber criminals are also targeting more lucrative niche markets, like top-level business executives, the report said.
Requiring a more customised, personal approach than the average user, such targets can often yield more valuable information, like access to corporate bank accounts and companywide email distribution lists.
tgara@thenational.ae
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
Mobile phone packages comparison
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”