Fraudsters are using global fears about swine flu to steal consumers' credit card details, a security firm has warned.
The outbreak of swine flu has become the latest high-profile event to be hijacked by online fraudsters, according to an IT security firm.
McAfee reported that spammers have been sending out millions of emails containing offers of supposed medicines and remedies to counter the disease. In fact, these offers are either attempts to steal consumers' credit card details or are peddling counterfeit drugs, the company explained.
Some of the emails, which McAfee said accounted for a small percentage of all spam released worldwide yesterday, have subject lines claiming that well-known celebrities have contracted the disease, tempting people to open the messages.
The number of probable deaths in Mexico from the virus has now risen to 152, according to official figures, while milder incidences of the flu have been reported in various countries, including the UK. The World Health Organisation has said that it is now too late to contain the disease to a specific area.
However, this is far from the first time that hackers have taken advantage of a global event. Last year, at the height of tensions between the USA and Iran, fraudsters sent emails with a link to a website which claimed that the two countries had gone to war.
In fact, the website was used to infect victims' computers with malware.
