Phishers use DMCA Takedowns Notices as Malware Links

First time I've seen this: phishers are hacking legitimate URLs, then sending DMCA takedown notices to people containing links to malware. I receieved this email today, then called the domain admin, who verified it's a scam.

If you've found this page by searching google for the text of an email, consider this a confirmation that the email is a phishing scam.

I have removed the hyperlinks from the URLs below; PLEASE DO NOT VISIT THESE ADDRESSES, as they most likely contain malware.

Dear Sir,

Attached is a list of the copyrighted material you are infriging on.
As well as hosted at http://democraticconventionboston.com/copyrights.php under Copyrighted Materials.
We are the proprietors of all copyrighted material that is being fringed upon on your companies webste.
We have reserved all rights regarding these trademarked files.
Permission was neither asked nor granted to reproduce our copyrighted material, therefore what your company is doing constitutes infringement of our rights. In terms of the Copyright Statutes, we are entitled to an injunction against your continued infringement, as well as to recover damages from you for the loss we have suffered as a result of your infringing conduct.

In the circumstances, we demand that you immediately:

1. remove all infringing content and notify us in writing that you have done so;

2. pay a licensing fee in the amount of 160,000 USD;

3. immediately cease the use and distribution of copyrighted material;

We await to hear from you by.

This is written without prejudice to our rights, all of which are hereby expressly reserved.

Yours faithfully,
Senior Legal Advisor
Graham Barr
http://democraticconventionboston.com/copyrights.php

Comments

[Anthony Loera]

I just got this this morning in my company email at RevGenetics.com and found this malware email. Luckily when you visit the bad 'site' using 'No Script' add-on for firefox, it redirects you away from the site and blocks any malware from the site auto-magically. The phisher in my email is using 'democraticconventionboston.com' rather than the swing-golfer.com website.

Use the 'No Script' add-on guys, it protects you from this sort of malware that initially appears legitimate.

A

[Greg]

Thanks for the post. I got this one this morning as well.

[Caroline]

Thank you for this! I thought it was fraud!

[Matt]

Thank you for this post. We received one of these in an employee's email this morning as well. The same website was listed. Hopefully that admin is weathering this well, he must be having a bad day.

[Rebecca]

My company received a similar notice today. Interesting how they're tapping into legitimate sites. SO, DO NOT VISIT THESE SITES. I have requested GoDaddy, my email and site hosting company check into this phishing scam. Here's what the sender "Mr. Graham Barr (legal adviser)" sent me:

Dear Sir,

Attached is a list of the copyrighted material you are infriging on.
As well as hosted at http://swing-golfer.com/copyrights.php under Copyrighted Materials.
We are the proprietors of all copyrighted material that is being fringed upon on your companies webste.
We have reserved all rights regarding these trademarked files.
Permission was neither asked nor granted to reproduce our copyrighted material, therefore what your company is doing constitutes infringement of our rights. In terms of the Copyright Statutes, we are entitled to an injunction against your continued infringement, as well as to recover damages from you for the loss we have suffered as a result of your infringing conduct.

In the circumstances, we demand that you immediately:

1. remove all infringing content and notify us in writing that you have done so;

2. pay a licensing fee in the amount of 160,000 USD;

3. immediately cease the use and distribution of copyrighted material;

We await to hear from you by.

This is written without prejudice to our rights, all of which are hereby expressly reserved.

Yours faithfully,
Senior Legal Advisor
Graham Barr
http://swing-golfer.com/copyrights.php

[MAM]

Recieved that same message, below, today, 6/9/11 at 6:52am
___
Subject: Cease copyright infrigement!

Dear Sir,

Attached is a list of the copyrighted material you are infriging on.
As well as hosted at http://democraticconventionboston.com/copyrights.php under Copyrighted Materials.
We are the proprietors of all copyrighted material that is being fringed upon on your companies webste.
We have reserved all rights regarding these trademarked files.
Permission was neither asked nor granted to reproduce our copyrighted material, therefore what your company is doing constitutes infringement of our rights. In terms of the Copyright Statutes, we are entitled to an injunction against your continued infringement, as well as to recover damages from you for the loss we have suffered as a result of your infringing conduct.

In the circumstances, we demand that you immediately:

1. remove all infringing content and notify us in writing that you have done so;

2. pay a licensing fee in the amount of 160,000 USD;

3. immediately cease the use and distribution of copyrighted material;

We await to hear from you by.

This is written without prejudice to our rights, all of which are hereby expressly reserved.

Yours faithfully,
Senior Legal Advisor
Graham Barr
http://democraticconventionboston.com/copyrights.php

[aram]

He says he's looking into it. I think he's sincerely trying his best.

[Mike]

Can't the domain admin take stop the malware?