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10.18.06
Beware Of PC Buyers Bearing Fraps
 By David Utter
A nice little scam making the rounds victimizes sellers of computer hardware as the scamster asks for benchmarks of the system for sale, provides a link to Fraps for the vicitm to use, and delivers a keylogger with it.
It sounds like an innocent enough, even prudent request. A potential buyer of a PC asks the seller to grab a copy of Fraps to capture benchmarks on the system. The buyer even has a handy link to a fully registered copy of Fraps.
The buyer makes the request very convenient for the seller, and as Ars Technica indicated, a little too convenient. That free copy of Fraps (priced at $37, PayPal available, for a legit copy) has been altered to bring in a keylogger too. The real version of Fraps does not contain malware.
Once in place, the keylogger grabs the usual data of value to the scamster, like login information to various sites. Sellers should treat such offers of software with a healthy double dose of skepticism and cynicism.
One poster at HardForum described the scam, and noted how a couple of people have been banned from that forum for perpetrating it:
There's a new scam going around involving Fraps. A member offers you a link to download Fraps, either to just give you a "freebie" or so you can run some benchmarks on hardware they are interested in buying from you.
This download installs a keylogger. They are after your logins for paypal, WoW and anything else they can get their grubby little paws on. Don't do it!
It appears the scamsters are hitting plenty of forums where overclocking and benchmarks dominate the hardware conversation. A poster at AnandTech claimed to have been approached on multiple forums by people offering the malware.
About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews, WebProNews, and InternetFinancialNews.
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