Scammers Using FBI And NSA Logos, Claiming Legal Actions And Demanding Payment Via GreenDot MoneyPak

from the the-latest-iteration dept

A few weeks ago, I first heard about a scam in which scammers were calling up unsuspecting people, claiming to be the IRS and saying that the recipient had failed to pay taxes and was at risk of arrest if they didn't pay up quickly. The caller demands that the money be sent via a "GreenDot MoneyPak," which is basically the equivalent of cash. Scams like this have been going on for a while now -- just do a simple Google search on "scam, greendot" and you'll find a lot of results. Most recently, the scam has focused either on the IRS, as mentioned above, or local utilities, with threats about turning off your power, phone, etc. New York City even put out an alert directly warning about GreenDot MoneyPak scams.

However, it appears that the scammers have recently attempted to move on from just the IRS and utilities -- to two appealing alternative options: the NSA and the FBI. Lawyer David Gingras apparently spotted the FBI version upon visiting a website recently: Apparently, at least some of these are appearing because of a virus that tries to make it look like the FBI locked up your computer. I particularly like the three reasons why your computer might have been locked up: First up is copyright infringement -- which does note "Article I, Section 8, Clause 8" (though later it says "Cause 8"), which is the Constitution's copyright clause, but here it's nonsensically described as "the Copyright of the Criminal Code of the United States of America," and then there's this, which is so obviously not written by someone fluent in English: "provides for a fine of two to five hundred minimal wages or a deprivation of liberty for two to eight years." Then there's the inevitable claim of child porn (though this calls it "child porno" and "article 202 of the Criminal Code"). You'd think for all the effort put into this, they'd at least look up the relevant laws. Finally, my favorite: they point out (somewhat accurately) that you might have malware on your computer, and then say, "thus you are violating the law on Neglectful Use of Personal Computer." Perhaps that's the most accurate, except that the fine here is paid for stupidity rather than any actual criminal violation.

Here's another version, using the DOJ's logo: I find it vaguely amusing that all of these scammers highlight the store logos where you can conveniently buy a GreenDot MonkeyPak to help out with the scam.

Malwarebytes claims that it's seen one of these scams with the CIA logo as well. However, on Friday, the issue apparently became so serious that the NSA put out an announcement about the scam using its logo:

The NSA/CSS is aware of a computer malware scam using the NSA/CSS seals and banner. Victims of this malware report that a pop-up or a locked Internet browser alerts them that they have violated the law and/or are being monitored. The scam may also request that victims pay a fine. This activity and the associated alerts have no affiliation to the federal government, NSA included, and no money should be paid to the scammers. Victims should consult a computer professional on how to address the computer infection. Victims may also contact the Internet Crime and Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center that accepts Internet-related criminal complaints. For more information about malware, users can review the NIST Guide to Malware Incident Prevention and Handling.

Of course, it's no surprise that with all of the reports of NSA and FBI surveillance and abuse, that scammers would jump on the opportunity to make use of that fear in their efforts. That said, I would imagine that targeting the FBI -- which actually does investigate cybercrime -- might not be that wise of a decision for the scammers.

Filed Under: fbi, greendot, irs, malware, money, moneypak, nsa, scams