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Nigerian Scammers Infect Themselves With Own Malware, Reveal New Fraud Scheme
Slashdot ^ | August 07, 2016

Posted on 08/07/2016 12:27:56 PM PDT by DrJeff

"A pair of security researchers recently uncovered a Nigerian scammer ring that they say operates a new kind of attack...after a few of its members accidentally infected themselves with their own malware," reports IEEE Spectrum. "Over the past several months, they've watched from a virtual front row seat as members used this technique to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from small and medium-sized businesses worldwide." Wave723 writes:

Nigerian scammers are becoming more sophisticated, moving on from former 'spoofing' attacks in which they impersonated a CEO's email from an external account. Now, they've begun to infiltrate employee email accounts to monitor financial transactions and slip in their own routing and account info...The researchers estimate this particular ring of criminals earns about US $3 million from the scheme.

After they infected their own system, the scammers' malware uploaded screenshots and all of their keystrokes to an open web database, including their training sessions for future scammers and the re-routing of a $400,000 payment. Yet the scammers actually "appear to be 'family men' in their late 20s to 40s who are well-respected, church-going figures in their communities," according to the article. SecureWorks malware researcher Joe Stewart says the scammers are "increasing the economic potential of the region they're living in by doing this, and I think they feel somewhat of a duty to do this."


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: email; fraud; internet; malware; nigeria; nigerian; scam; spam
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IEEE Source: http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/security/nigerian-scammers-infect-themselves-with-own-malware-revealing-new-wirewire-fraud-scheme
1 posted on 08/07/2016 12:27:56 PM PDT by DrJeff
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To: DrJeff

Scam??? You mean I’m not getting that 10 million dollars I was promised from Uday Hussein?


2 posted on 08/07/2016 12:34:35 PM PDT by Organic Panic
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To: DrJeff
...the scammers actually "appear to be 'family men' in their late 20s to 40s who are well-respected, church-going figures in their communities,"...

Same all over the world in every religion - anyone can quote and preach scripture, and swear up and down all sorts of vows and pledges and promises. But what matters is how you live your life - nothing else.

In the end, when we stand before God, we get no lawyer, and we're allowed no words.

3 posted on 08/07/2016 12:36:36 PM PDT by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: Organic Panic
Scam??? You mean I’m not getting that 10 million dollars I was promised from Uday Hussein?

Yeah, I got caught on that one too. Fortunately, I just got an email from the FBI informing me that the UN is disbursing a $20 million payment to me to compensate me for my losses. I'm just waiting for it to arrive. What could possibly go wrong? :=)

4 posted on 08/07/2016 12:39:13 PM PDT by Bob (No, being a US Senator and the Secretary of State are not accomplishments; they're jobs.)
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To: Talisker

Good point.


5 posted on 08/07/2016 12:41:15 PM PDT by DrJeff
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To: DrJeff

I can’t believe anyone is dumb enough to fall for this stuff anymore. Especially when they say stupid stuff in their emails like, “here’s that document we talked about yesterday” and dumb crap like that. One of my old email accounts keeps get hit with this crap. They want me to click on some 4MB attachment. Yeah. Right. I did get a bunch that ended with “King Regards” and then the fake name. LOL! I think it’s the same group of idiots who keep sending these phony emails. King Regards? What the heck is that?


6 posted on 08/07/2016 12:43:07 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Let's Make Our Government and Founding Documents Great Again!)
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To: Talisker

Unless our Lawyer is our “Advocate with The Father; Jesus Christ, The Righteous”.


7 posted on 08/07/2016 12:45:54 PM PDT by Tucker39 (Welcome to America! Now speak English; and keep to the right....In driving, in Faith, and politics.)
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To: Talisker

My neighbor has been contacted by many sccammers on match.com.

They all have parts of the same story :

They are foreigners.
They were orphaned at an early age.
Adopted by an aunt and moved to another country - they say this to cover a foreign accent.
They are widowed.
They have custody of a daughter.
They have ties to Texas and/or Arizona.
They are going to South Africa to build roads.
They are in NC to work on bridges and go back to Texas to work on an oil rig.

Some of the men have actually put a young girl on the phone to tell my neighbor they love her and want her to be their mommy.

We looked up some of the stories online and it is STAGGERING how much money they scammed.

My neighbor hasn’t fallen for any of this but, I did point out one guy did have some of same BS the scammers did and sure enough, he was one of them.


8 posted on 08/07/2016 12:52:45 PM PDT by Cowgirl of Justice
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To: Cowgirl of Justice

The scammers are all over Craig’s list also,

A neighbor of mine came VERY close,told me what was going on and I was able tp prevent her from going forward BECAUSE OF SOMEHING I SAW ON FR about a year ago.

She was very grateful

.


9 posted on 08/07/2016 12:57:31 PM PDT by Mears
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To: Talisker

Jesus Christ is my lawyer. He assures me he can handle my case.


10 posted on 08/07/2016 1:03:32 PM PDT by xp38
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To: DrJeff
who are well-respected, church-going figures in their communities

Church-going, or mosque-going?

11 posted on 08/07/2016 1:08:47 PM PDT by PapaBear3625 (Big government is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
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To: DrJeff

I read this one interview with one of the scammers and he said “Americans are very smart, so we just mostly scam other Nigerians.”

I died laughing. Our average IQ of 100 isn’t so smart...just in comparison to them.


12 posted on 08/07/2016 1:09:04 PM PDT by MNDude (God is not a Republican, but Satan is certainly a Democrat.)
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To: xp38
Jesus Christ is my lawyer. He assures me he can handle my case.

Jesus Christ is your judge, and your God.

13 posted on 08/07/2016 1:12:51 PM PDT by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: Tucker39
Unless our Lawyer is our “Advocate with The Father; Jesus Christ, The Righteous”.

See #13

14 posted on 08/07/2016 1:15:35 PM PDT by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: Bob

I know some people who actually received $400 million from a Kenyan scammer.


15 posted on 08/07/2016 1:30:29 PM PDT by Chaguito
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To: Chaguito

Yeahuss! The Kenyan scammer is holed up in Martha’s Truckpatch, MA at the moment.


16 posted on 08/07/2016 1:47:39 PM PDT by Tucker39 (Welcome to America! Now speak English; and keep to the right....In driving, in Faith, and politics.)
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To: Mears

It is just twrrible.

We need to put up a fence and seal ourselves from those who wish us harm.


17 posted on 08/07/2016 1:54:14 PM PDT by Cowgirl of Justice
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To: Organic Panic

I sent this guys 50,000 monopoly dollars and they still get scammed. Gimme back my money!


18 posted on 08/07/2016 2:02:37 PM PDT by max americana (fired every liberal in our company at every election cycle..and laughed at their faces (true story))
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To: Organic Panic
Scam??? You mean I’m not getting that 10 million dollars I was promised from Uday Hussein?

It's MY day, not Uday. Get in line and wait your turn.

19 posted on 08/07/2016 3:14:32 PM PDT by USMCPOP (Father of LCpl. Karl Linn, KIA 1/26/2005 Al Haqlaniyah, Iraq)
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To: Chaguito
I know some people who actually received $400 million from a Kenyan scammer.

Well, yes, we accidentally grabbed the poopie end of the stick and threw the lever. But we are businessmen and know these things happen.

20 posted on 08/07/2016 3:22:56 PM PDT by USMCPOP (Father of LCpl. Karl Linn, KIA 1/26/2005 Al Haqlaniyah, Iraq)
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