Websense Warns Consumers of Online California Fire Scams

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN) today announced that its security research team has discovered suspicious online scams designed by criminals to steal money from those donating to the California fire effort. Websense also urged consumers to take steps to ensure that donations are reaching the intended recipients, and to notify officials of suspicious Web sites.

"Unfortunately, as we saw with Katrina and several other recent emergencies, there are criminals who attempt to divert monies intended for the victims by creating bogus online donation Web sites and advertising them on high-traffic Web sites," said Dan Hubbard, vice president of security research, Websense. "These criminals are trying to take advantage of the amazing outpouring of support locally, state-wide and internationally. Websense is aggressively monitoring domain registrations, email honeypots, and scanning the Web looking for these suspicious sites."

Websense offers tips to consumers donating online: -- Ensure you are dealing with legitimate organizations. -- Contact these organizations on your own -- go to their Web site rather than clicking on a link in an email sent to you. Contact the Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org) at 1-800-HELP-NOW, or the Salvation Army (http://www.salvationarmyusa.org) at 1-800-SAL-ARMY. -- Remember that legitimate organizations will not aggressively approach people for money and donations. -- Be mindful of groups reporting to be affiliated with legitimate organizations asking for donations or requesting you to visit their Web site. They may be fraudulent or hosting malicious code designed to steal information such as banking details. -- Be wary of online auctions that claim to support the donation effort.

Websense asks that consumers who believe a Web site is questionable contact government authorities or Websense researchers, as Websense has direct contact with federal authorities to help on the matter. Send suspicious sites to blog_feedback@websense.com.

To report suspicious Internet sites and emails to the government and for additional protection tips visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov or the Federal government's consumer information center at http://www.consumer.gov/Tech.htm.

Comment on Websense Corporate Headquarters Status

As a San Diego-based company, Websense corporate headquarters was never in an evacuation area, and Websense has sustained no damage or outages as a result of the fires. Websense maintains redundant datacenters, research teams, and customer service distributed globally which reduces the risk of natural disasters' affecting the content protection services Websense provides to customers.

On Oct. 22, Websense encouraged San Diego-based employees to stay home if they were affected by the fires. On Oct. 23, Websense closed its San Diego headquarters so employees could focus on the safety and security of their families and deal with evacuations and other issues. Many employees have continued to work from home during this time. Websense continues to monitor the situation and gives employees flexibility during this difficult time.

About Websense, Inc.

Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN) protects more than 42 million employees from external and internal computer security threats. Using a combination of preemptive ThreatSeeker(TM) malicious content identification and categorization technology and information leak prevention technology, Websense helps make computing safe and productive. Distributed through its global network of channel partners, Websense software helps organizations block malicious code, prevent the loss of confidential information and manage Internet and wireless access. For more information, visit http://www.websense.com.

Websense and Websense Enterprise are registered trademarks of Websense, Inc. in the United States and certain international markets. Websense has numerous other unregistered trademarks in the United States and internationally. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

     MEDIA CONTACT:
     Cas Purdy
     Websense, Inc.
     +1 858 320 9493
     cpurdy@websense.com