Phishing attack hits the Beijing Olympics

Phishers have struck at the Beijing Olympics and may have bilked ticket buyers out of thousands of dollars.

The phishers picked a URL very close to the official address and put up a convincing looking site offering tickets. There visitors were told to call a phone number to get the entry code for the site, which would have provided another income stream for the phishers.

"This phishing website goes a step further than most phishing sites by employing a phone-call 'verification' step," said internet monitoring company Websense.

"This higher level of interactivity and supposed verification garners more trust from unsuspecting users."

Once in the site visitors were told to enter credit card details, to pay a relatively small sum of RMB600 for the ticket (approximately $87).

The site is now being blocked and the authorities are investigating. China traditionally hands out stiffer penalties to online criminals than in the West.