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Spammers Engage Unwary Users in MSN Chat, Extort Sensitive Information

Sophos the IT security company is warning about a curious spam campaign, which attempts to entice people using public chat service such as MSN into handing over their sensitive information. CBR reported this on June 22, 2009.

Also is reported that the spam mails arise from a bot network that contains different e-mail addresses.

In the meantime, the spam campaign raises considerable interest among its e-mail recipients as it attempts at enticing users to carry out a flirtatious chat on the MSN. Dmitry Samoss researcher at SophosLabs has detected some of these flirtatious messages that have captions like "my MSN name is [censored]@live.com ttys cutiem," "msg me on MSN" and "msg me."

Further according to reports, the malicious domain has its origin in China and is under the control of an associate of ClickCash.com a network that canvasses adult-content websites.

Moreover, it is understood that if users do as per the suggestion in the message and proceed to engage in a chat via MSN then they automatically start chatting on a scripted Internet Messenger from where they are channeled onto a website with adult content.

But, warns Sophos that this website asks the user to provide his account credentials as also his credit card details for possible identity theft.

Said Senior Technology Consultant Graham Cluley at Sophos that even though it could be risky talking to unknown people on the Internet, many people still engage in such an activity. Thus there are chances that the latest spam scam turns out successful, Cluley elicited. CBR reported this.

Cluley further said enticing people with such flirtatious and playful chat is a definite method of ensnaring them to make then surrender their sensitive information. Thus, computer users must be watchful of uninvited e-mails however harmless fun they might appear. For, any message that comes from a stranger possibly has been sent to get at the recipient's identity and money, Cluley added that Sophos.com published on June 22, 2009.

Moreover, according to Sophos, spammers could use this technique more aggressively in future so that they don't have to face spam filters, while distributing their malicious e-mails.

Related article: Spammers Continue their Campaigns Successfully

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