MalwareTeks Blog

What is the purpose of email chain letters?

• Identity Theft.
• Play on your emotions.
• Defraud you of money
• Clog Email servers, attempting to overload the server.
• Infect your computer with Malware.
• All the above.

View Results

 Loading ...

No matter how much I preach to my family members not to forward these annoying pieces of internet junk, I always seem to get at least one email chain letter a week.

This may come as a surprise, but generally people hate getting junk emails. No matter how funny, cute or inspiring an email might be, many people don’t like having an inbox littered with the latest jokes and hoaxes.  Sending junk email to people who haven’t requested it, can cause the loss of friendship, profane email responses, and other nastiness. Mostly, it annoys the crap out of people. So pause for a moment or two before clicking that send button and forwarding unwanted email to your friends and family.

I don’t want the junk and I bet neither do you!

There are all sorts of junk emails floating around the Internet: bogus virus warnings, urban legends, offers of easy cash, letters that promise to help sick kids… the list goes on.

Do not forward chain letters, no matter how compelling they might seem. Propagating chain letters is specifically prohibited by the terms of service of most Internet service providers and you could lose your account.

Chain letters are a form of spam where the recipient is encouraged to forward multiple copies so that its circulation increases exponentially. By its very nature chain letters are dangerous because of the resources that it takes to stop its progression and the time it takes for each recipient to read and either destroy it or pass it along. Additionally, they can cause damage to an organization’s reputation when associated with a legitimate company or cause.

The primary goal of chain letters is to flood servers with thousands of pieces of email. If the number is ten, the first recipient would send ten emails, the ten recipients would send one hundred (ten each), their recipients would send one thousand, and so on.

Chain letters that request money or promote pyramid schemes are ILLEGAL. Where the recipient is asked to send a certain amount of money to those above and in theory would receive money from those below them on the pyramid. Electronic pyramid schemes are no different than their paper-based cousins, their goal is to separate you from your money and they are ILLEGAL.

The Anatomy of a Chain Letter

Chain letters are comprised of three components:

• Hook - Attention grabbing subject so that you will read the rest of the email.
• Threat - Plays to your emotions and fears in an effort to keep the chain intact.
• Request - Usually a demand to distribute the letter to as many individuals as possible.

It is very difficult to determine the originator of a chain letter.

When you receive a chain letter, delete it.  Don’t resend the letter.  By doing this, you break the chain.  If you recieve these type of emails on a computer at work, you should let your network administrator know.

Remember that generally people hate getting junk email and you may not like the response you get from your friends when you continue to send them unwanted emails.  Especially after they have asked you to stop.  If you are doing this using a computer at work, you know the one your company has so graciously allowed you to use, you may lose your job.

EDIT: The poll has been up for a while now, but, I can tell you the correct answer is not #2 as most have selected.

One of the biggest threats to you and your identity is spyware that can easily be added onto your computer without your knowledge. A key logger is a type of spyware that can be added to your computer and without knowing what to look for, you could never know it was there. A key logger records your keystrokes, all numbers, letters and symbols, and transmits them or saves them for the hacker.

If you make an online purchase from a website, your account information and your credit card number could be recorded by a key logger. Even though you are at a reputable website, you could still be having your identity stolen. You’ve provided the hacker with everything they need to rack charges up on your credit card and you are left unsuspecting. Your computer could be infected with spyware and/or a key logger right now and you probably don’t even know it.

Some spyware is pretty harmless but some of it leaves you and your information completely exposed and ripe for the picking. Some programs can collect all of your activity on the Internet, including messaging conversations, strokes on your keyboard, travel plans, information about you and your family, even photos and files.

To stop yourself from being a victim of identity theft due to spyware and key logger programs, there are a few things you can do.

First of all, ensure that you have ant-spyware installed on your computer and that you keep it updated regularly. Anti-spyware software can detect spyware on your computer and delete it. You should run an anti-spyware on your computer at least every other day, if not once a day. It’s not fool proof because hackers and spammers are always updating their programs to avoid detection - keeping your anti-spyware up to date, and even having more than one can be very beneficial and help keep you bug free.

Install an anti-virus on your computer as well as anti-spyware, and keep your anti-virus updated and on constantly. You should run an anti-virus on your computer at least every other day, if not once a day.

Practice safe sites - be wary when you are on the Internet and only download programs from web sites that you trust. Never allow anything to be installed on your computer via the Internet without first finding out what exactly it is. Keep your working programs, such as your Internet Browser up to date with the newest versions as well.

There are many ways to have your identity stolen online and spyware and key loggers are just a drop in the bucket. You have to be vigilant with your information that you provide on the Internet, even on trusted websites. Taking care of your computer and the software that is installed on it will help to increase your protection, but nothing is for certain. You must keep an accurate track of your finances and notice immediately if anything looks suspicious. Keep a watchful eye on your credit card and bank statements and if anything seems out of place, report it immediately. You should also check your credit report at least once a year from each of the credit bureaus to ensure that all the information recorded on there is correct. Identity theft is serious and it can completely financially destroy you, so be aware, vigilant and wary.

About the Author
Faithe Thomas is concerned about identity theft and online fraud. She designed a website to help victims and pre-victims: http://www.identity-fraud.info