Anti-vuvuzela trumpet software is a scam

Webroot warns World Cup fans not to download noise cancellation technology.

Security experts are warning World Cup fans not to fall for a piece of scam software promising to remove the noise of the South African vuvuzela trumpets during TV broadcasts.

Links to a web site selling the 'Anti-Vuvuzela Filter' have been doing the rounds on various social networks this week, but Webroot malware researcher Andrew Brandt said that the €2.95 (A$4.16)  price tag will leave users with nothing but an empty wallet.

"The site claims to be able to 'get rid of the vuvuzela noise through active noise cancellation' but all you get for your money is, apparently, a 45-minute MP3 file," he wrote in a blog post.

"Seriously. Call it a rogue AV (anti-vuvuzela) of a variety we haven't seen before. Don't be a sucker. Just reduce the volume on your TV if the vuvuzelas get you down."

The scam is the latest in a string of attempts by cyber criminals to extort money by using the World Cup as a lure.

Trend Micro and Symantec Hosted Services have both alerted users to 419-style scams, while Symantec warned of more sophisticated information stealing malware using the World Cup to target specific corporate systems.