October 14, 2008 On the web: McAfee issues new cyberscam warnings Play video

(NECN: Ted McEnroe) - On the web this morning, a new report from McAfee software warns that scammers are using some new tools more effectrively than ever to gather information and exploit unsuspecting Internet users.

Among the trends in the new McAfee Security Journal - the possibility of using negative information (whether true or false) in an effort to drive down equity prices - and make money off the plunge.

Also - the company says it has seen a rise in the number of scams targeting consumers by using news events as a peg. The Beijing Olympics, for example, saw the creation of malware hidden inside pro-Tibet newsletter information.

And there is the ever-growing problem of 'typosquatters', people or companies who buy sites with names close to those of legitimate sites. While most people who create sites like giizmodo.com or bakofamerica.com are simply squatting to generate ad revenue (as sketchy as that is), there are also those who can use the sites or the links to install malware on an unsupecting user's computer.

Easiest way to avoid that trap? If you don't get the site you expect, then retype the name in the address bar.

Also, of course, there is the buzz on Apple's new MacBooks, to be announced at 1pm today.