St. Patrick’s Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on March 17. Traditionally, this day is celebrated with festive parades and music in Ireland, Europe, and even New York City. Among the many popular traditions that surround St. Patrick’s Day, one cannot miss out on the food, drink, and merriment at local pubs.
Symantec is monitoring St. Patrick’s Day spam, which is, as usual, offering various bogus products. In one such sample, all that the recipient needs to do is to take part in a very simple survey. Upon completion of the survey, the user will receive a $250 gift card reward absolutely FREE! But wait a minute—think twice before you even try clicking that button. Although the offer is perfectly tailored for the occasion, the reward that awaits the tempted is disastrous.
Subject: Are You Celebrating St. Patty.s Day?
Subject: St. Patty's Day Clearance - Huge Discounts on New Cars.
Subject: You have (1) new St Patrick's Day eCard Offer
So, what is so perilous about clicking and winning a $250 gift card? The reward is certainly attractive but it definitely has more to it. After completing the survey, one is taken to the "give your email" [sic] page. After all, it is logical that the gift card has to be sent to your address, isn’t it? Beware, and don’t fall prey to such false promises because after you surrender your email address, all that awaits you is an abundance of spam. Not only that, the promised gift card is only an illusion.
Other spam samples are offering free St. Patrick’s Day e-cards. When the user clicks on the "view e-card button," he or she is redirected to a Web page that shows a cash reward certificate asking for the user’s personal details such as address, email address, and more.
Symantec advises readers to be cautious when handling unsolicited/unexpected emails. Symantec recommends that users update their anti-spam signatures regularly to avoid having their personal information compromised.
Note: Thanks to Christopher Mendes for contributed content.