Costco Connection - December 2009

Curing the

Zeus virus

Also:

■ Recycling cellphones
■ Confusing ads

Ask David

Horowitz

A RECENT SPAM CAMPAIGN is now the world’s leading cyber-attacker. The message appears to come from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and with its fake subject line warning that it’s a “Notice of Underreported Income,” it preys on taxpayers’ fears of being audited. The e-mail directs recipients to click on a link to view their “tax statement,” which takes victims to a phony Web site or instructs them to download and view an attachment. But instead of a tax report, they are opening a stealthy virus known as the Zeus Trojan, which hacks into their bank accounts and drains them of money.

Researchers estimate that the Zeus thieves were emptying more than $1 million per day out of victims’ bank accounts as part of a widespread financial fraud scheme. Small businesses have been particularly hard-hit, because banks often hold them accountable for the losses.

You can’t trust your computer’s anti-virus software to detect or disinfect this virus. Experts say that the malicious scammers behind Zeus are changing the program code a few times almost daily to evade detection, which prevents anti-virus companies from breaking the code and protecting their customers against the evolving threat.

The only way to avoid being contaminated is to avoid being hit. The IRS never sends personal notification via e-mail, so immediately delete any such message as spam. And remember, you should never click on a link or download an attachment from an unknown source.

Check out recycled equipment

The University of Missouri was embarrassed recently when it learned that a box of old cellphones they’d sold for scrap had not been wiped clean: The devices still held contact lists, text messages, voice mails and other potentially sensitive information.

The buyer paid $190 for 25 old cellphones, planning to sell the parts for about $1,000. But after a closer look at the phones gathered from the athletic department, he offered to sell the phones— data included—to a sports collector, with an asking price of $3,000.

After the university realized the information had been left on the phones, officials quietly tried to buy them back. They also offered to simply wipe the data clean if the buyer brought them back. But the buyer said no. University officials fear team memos and messages could fall into the wrong hands.

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If you’re discarding a cellphone or other data-retaining equipment, make sure the memory card is removed and the device’s memory is erased before it leaves your possession.

Dramatized ads confuse viewers

Networks and advertisers are turning to new tricks to keep viewers tuned in to revenue-produc-ing commercials. During commercial breaks, NBC and ABC are now featuring actors from their shows, in character, interacting with advertisers’ products in parallel story lines.

This new kind of commercial further blurs the line between programs and advertisements, now that traditional “product placements” within shows—another way of sneaking in a promotion that won’t be skipped—have become common.

For now, the plots in these hybrid ads aren’t central to the main story line, and viewers can easily skip them without compromising continuity.

The spots are meant to sustain interest among die-hard fans. They are also meant to trick viewers into quitting fast-for-ward mode when they see the familiar faces of the series actors, inducing them to sit through what turns out to be an ad instead of action.

So, be on the lookout for the slippery “actor ad.” If familiar characters are doing a bit too much interaction with a product instead of a partner, you know you’ve been tricked! C

I PURCHASED a new Lexus. It now has 30,000 miles on it, and I service it regularly at the dealer. My front tires unexpectedly wore out, with the steel belt sticking out from inside the front tires! The dealer said this is normal because it is a sports car, even though the regular tread still has more than a quarter inch left. He also says that replacing tires after 15,000 to 25,000 miles is normal. Is this “ normal”? Or is there a bigger safety issue?

M.D., Acton, CA

Read the owner’s man-
ual again to check on their
suggested tire-replacement
schedule, and see if
there was any
mention of this
kind of wear
being “normal.”
The dealer
should make it
known if the
tires are wear-
ing evenly when
you get service.
If not, ask. If
there is a safety
issue, you should have
been informed by the
dealer. I suggest you
double-check this with
the nonprofit Center
for Auto Safety (www.
autosafety.org) or the
Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety

( www.iihs.org).

AMY CANTRELL

David Horowitz is a leading consumer advocate ( www.fightback.com). He is a frequent guest on radio and television stations. Consult your local listings for dates and times.

Just log on to www.fightback.com and “Ask David.” He will personally respond to your problem if you follow the instructions printed on his Web site. (Costco members receive a rebate off the normal fee.) Questions and answers of the greatest interest to Costco members will be used in this column with the permission of the contributor and will be posted on www.fightback.com.