iTunes Gift Certificate

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iTunes Gift Certificate

It is designed to get you to open the attachment so that a trojan can be downloaded onto your computer that will give hackers access to your computer.

The email is designed to look like an official message from the iTunes Store and states that on the iTunes Gift Certificate is a code that can be used to purchase music and other items from the iTunes store. The gift certificate is supposed to be in a file attached to the email.

The email however is not from iTunes and the $50 gift certificate is bait used to entice you into opening the email's attachment. If you open the attachment, you will launch a malicious application that can install a trojan on your computer. Once it is installed on your computer it can then modify your Windows registry, potentially giving hackers access by connecting your computer to a remote server, and downloading and installing even more malware.

Internet criminals often use the bait of supposedly free gifts, products and services as a means of tricking you into opening malicious attachments. By offering what appears to be an unexpected gift, these criminals hope you will be tempted with the "something for nothing" approach. This has more credibility when the names of legitimate organisations are used.

Remember that iTunes users can buy iTunes Gift Certificates for their friends or family members and send them an email with the details, however the email usually shows it is from someone you know, and the code is not in an attached file.

If you have been a victim of internet crime, you should notify the IC3 via www.ic3.gov. Remember - always watch for scams!

Steve