HUNDREDS of businessmen and women across the Westcountry have been hit by a computer virus spread via a popular social networking website.

The computer users are all "friends" with each other on the Facebook website, which is increasingly used as a marketing and networking tool by businesses.

The Trojan virus spreads itself through address books and locks people out of their computer systems. It then steals information kept on computers, including details of e-mail accounts, passwords, names and addresses.

Toby Parkins, managing director of Cornish web development firm UKNetWeb, advises businesses on the best use of social media platforms such as Facebook. He said people using the site needed to "exercise caution" and delete any messages they were unsure about.

"Messages of this kind have been appearing on Facebook since its conception in 2004. However, this one appears to be particularly virulent.

"The title of the dodgy message varies with messages such as 'Maan, yyou're great!' (sic) and 'your ass looks not bad in this video' forming part of the message body or Facebook wall posting.

"With many businesses now using the network as a marketing tool, this kind of infection can be extremely damaging to their interests with the messages appearing in their contacts' inboxes or walls without their knowledge. You should ensure that your computer has the latest anti-virus and anti-phishing software installed and run on a daily basis."

Posted by Justin Payton in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 16:28

SWEET HOME, Ore. — An Oregon woman who is out $400,000 after falling for a well-known Internet scam says she wasn't a sucker or an easy mark.

Janella Spears of Sweet Home says she simply became curious when she received an e-mail promising her $20.5 million if she would only help out a long-lost relative identified as J.B. Spears with a little money up front.

Spears told KATU-TV about the scammers' ability to identify her relative by name was persuasive.

"That's what got me to believe it," She said. "So, why wouldn't you send over $100?"

Spears, who is a nursing administrator and CPR teacher, said she mortgaged the house and took a lien out on the family car, and ran through her husband's retirement account.

"The retirement he was dreaming of — cruising and going around and seeing America — is pretty much gone for him right now," she said.

She estimates it will take two years to clear the debt that accumulated in the more than two years she spent sending money to con artists.

Posted by Justin Payton in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 10:33