google Something's phishy about these domain names - ITWorld Canada

[Adam Dicker]

Something's phishy about these domain names
ITWorld Canada, Canada - 16 hours ago
... Online scammers may be raking in the green by using deceptive domain names for phishing operations, according to a Finnish tech security firm. F-Secure Corp. ...


Link To Original Article

[typist]

[...]Firms such as sedo.com and Moniker.Com of Pampano, FL (sic)

Pampano - out in the pampas?

[...]For instance, he noted that the Smithsonian Institution in Washington uses "si.edu/museums" on its site rather than .com. ".Com is open for the public to use. Top-level domain names such as /museum requires special registration."

The famous /museum top level domain will soon overtake .mobi

[...]if someone is interested in purchasing domain names mimicking the URLs of well known online merchants [...] - chances are that someone is a scamster.

Right. And I'm a hamster.

[...]Frazer said it's very hard for authorities to launch legal action against these types of operations because there are no laws against buying and selling such domain names.[...]

The wild wild west.... We clearly need laws against buying and selling those domains.

Journalists are a funny bunch. Quality article...

[Rubber Duck]

Pampano - out in the pampas?
The famous /museum top level domain will soon overtake .mobi
Right. And I'm a hamster.
The wild wild west.... We clearly need laws against buying and selling those domains.

Journalists are a funny bunch. Quality article...

Well at least it didn't mention IDN. Funny lot or not, this guy wasn't giving the usual BS about Phishing being something to do with IDN. 24 Million Americans have been taken for a thousand dollars in 2006, and no it doesn't in general have a great deal to do with IDN!

[typist]

I admire your tireless and unfettered promotion of IDN.

PS he didn't spell out IDN, but...

"The only reason one would want to buy a domain name such as pÃ*ypal.com or paypÃ*l.com (an accented version of the famous online payment service's URL) is if you wanted to use this moniker in a phishing or some other scam"

[Rubber Duck]

I admire your tireless and unfettered promotion of IDN.

PS he didn't spell out IDN, but...

"The only reason one would want to buy a domain name such as p�*ypal.com or payp�*l.com (an accented version of the famous online payment service's URL) is if you wanted to use this moniker in a phishing or some other scam"

Ah, well there we go again! He did not exactly point out, however, that allowing people to navigate in their own native scripts is going to be one of the most effective ways of globally reducing the risk of phishing scams. If people are to avoid navigating to phishing sites that use confusingly similar names, then being able navigate in familar characters is an absolute must. Can you imagine how often you would end up being dupped if you were forced to navigate using Chinese Characters?