Infected Photos Steal From Car Shoppers

June 6, 2013

If an online seller sends you photos of an item, run them through a malware scanner first — at least according to the FBI. A new warning issued by the bureau suggests that many buyers have fallen victim to malware scams that involve what seem to be innocuous photo attachments. The photos generally show the item in question, and the malware will redirect users back to a site that looks like Craigslist or eBay. However, instead of navigating back to the original site, the user will now find him or herself on a facsimile of it, differing only in URL. When a user agrees to buy an item through this bogus website, the seller gets the money and disappears without a trace.