E-mails Spoofing FBI Look for Personal Details

Investigators at Dougherty County (US) Sheriff office have said that the scam spike they witness during holiday season has begun little earlier this time. They are therefore warning Internet users about one such ongoing realistic fraud.

Actually, three individuals at Dougherty County have recently reported of electronic mails coming into their inboxes apparently from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The messages tell the recipients that their accounts with the Bank of America have been utilized to launder money and the users would be arrested. Moreover, they also attempt to trick the users into revealing their BOA account numbers. The investigators have also revealed that the e-mails carry persuasive BOA and FBI seals.

According to Craig Dodd, Captain of the Office of Dougherty County Sheriff, the e-mails threaten the recipients to reply at the given e-mail address or contact at 1-800 within a specified time, otherwise they would be arrested. The e-mail address and phone number, however, have no connections with the FBI, as reported by WALB NEWS on November 18, 2009.

Apart from these FBI e-mails, another set of messages are hitting inboxes apparently from the Washington-based FBI headquarters, claiming that the recipient is to get $2.3 Million from certain fund that caters to the poor. However, to claim this sum, he/she merely has to spend $350 for setting up an account with the bank, the e-mails state.

However, Internet security specialists state that the e-mails are just another form of the Nigerian fraud campaign, which has been around for over 20 years. Only this time, scammers are utilizing government agencies' names to cheat netizens so that they would give away their money.

The Internet crime website of the FBI posted a statement that no government agency ever sent such kinds of unsolicited e-mails and consumers shouldn't reply to them or open any given web-link since they could have malicious programs like viruses.

Similarly, the Office of Otero County (US) Sheriff received a citizen complain about getting an e-mail supposedly from the FBI, stating that an African bank transferred a huge amount of cash to the bureau citing the individual as its beneficiary.

Related article: E-Crime Reporting Format To Be Launched in July

» SPAMfighter News - 12/2/2009