Tumblr Being Exploited as a Scamming Launchpad
The victim clicks on the link in the email. He arrives at the Tumblr site, and is redirected to the fraudulent site. Turiel says the destination page is a “newspaper” where every link leads to the scam purchase page. The page is then customized based on the user's IP address.
GFI Software reported that several hundred Tumblr accounts were being misused as a fraud and scamming launchpad. Then, Commtouch, an internet security technology company, discovered how the scammers were redirecting visitors to another site outside Tumblr.
According to Avi Turiel, Commtouch director of marketing, once the scammers create a Tumblr account, they exploit the site’s useful features whereby Tumblr automatically redirects the victim to another site. The scam starts with an email guaranteeing $3700 a week income.
The email arrives in the victim’s desktop or mobile device:
“I was at home and started skimming on MSNBC’s county self-employed section on Wednesday and then was infatuated with this interesting online based opportunity where college students continue to earn up to $3700 a /wk+ & I didn’t understand all of it at the beginning but we just had to try it and thankfully I did since I’ve earned myself $426.68
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