Fake Swine Flu Cures Flourish Online

Please, stop falling for that Nigerian scam

(NEWSER) - The founders of Snopes.com started out investigating the origins of urban legends like the serial killer with a hook for a hand; 14 years later, their site is a major source of information for people seeking the real story behind political rumors. “When you’re looking at truth versus gossip, truth doesn’t stand a chance,” Barbara Mikkelson tells the New York Times ; husband David adds, “People keep falling for the same kind of things over and over again.” More»

Phishing scheme asks targets to register for vaccination

(NEWSER) - Bogus email alert: Be on the lookout for messages allegedly from the CDC about a "mandatory" swine flu vaccination program. The emails ask recipients to enter personal information in order to get vaccinated, but unlucky registrants get malware instead of medicine. The CDC has confirmed that it is not running a mandatory vaccination program, the Baltimore Sun reports. More»

Report finds surge in demand might make telecommuting unfeasible

(NEWSER) - Telecommuters hunkering down at home because of swine flu could overwhelm Internet networks in the coming weeks, a federal watchdog reports. The report earlier this week found that no guidelines are in place to deal with any surge in demand caused by a spike in workers telecommuting and students going online to access games and videos, the Washington Post reports. More»

(NEWSER) - The hysteria over the swine flu pandemic has spawned its share of magic cures, and health authorities are busy combating the snake oil salesmen, the Financial Times reports. Nearly half of the warning letters sent by the FDA to manufacturers and retailers since May have been issued to those hawking products that purportedly combat the H1N1 threat. “Not only are these claims illegal but we also consider them a potentially significant threat to public health,” the FDA says. More»

(NEWSER) - The FTC has taken the rare step of shutting down an Internet Service Provider that it says was a haven for child pornography and malware run by Eastern European criminals, MSNBC reports. The case gives "a rare glimpse into the seediest parts of the web," writes Bob Sullivan. Authorities found 700 reports of child porn hosted on the servers of 3FN.net, an ISP ostensibly based in Oregon. The FTC believe it is actually controlled from Ukraine and Estonia. More»