Here’s the latest twist in the “membership” site scam: spam emails that tell potential victims to update their Adobe Reader include links to a web site intended to look like something related to Adobe products, but is selling “memberships.”
The REAL way to update your Adobe software is on the help menu: help | check for updates (see the end of this blog piece for details).
The spam email:
Notice that the graphic on the web page says “PDF Reader/Writer” and doesn’t mention Adobe, as the email (and the URL it contained) did:
The default selections on the “choose your plan” page includes
— three years of “unlimited VIP access and support” ($12.97)
— one year of “full protection against intrusion with ETD scanner” ($1.49 per month – payable up front, so that’s $17.88)
— “award-winning download accelerator” for $9.95.
That’s a total of $40.80.
A web search for “ETD scanner” is interesting too. Its home page says it has been parked by GoDaddy.
In material that comes with it, it’s described as: “… an anti-spyware/malware/trojan, privacy protector, system performance enhancer and popup blocker software all-in-one!” In its “system requirements” the latest version of Windows listed is 2003.
The scanner is for sale on a site called “BrotherSoft” for $29.95 although only 135 people have purchased it in a year and a half.
A 60-day trial version that we downloaded installed successfully and wasn’t detected as malicious code by AV sources, but didn’t download any signature updates, so, apparently the only detections it was capable of were those from 2004 (if it’s functional at all.)
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How to REALLY update Adobe products (IT’S FREE!)**
Now back in the REAL world, if you want to update one of your Adobe products, you open it, then select the help menu, then “check for updates.” They’re free.
