UK Exchequer Chancellor’s E-Mail Transpires as ‘419 Scam’

Nigerian scams, which are referred to as 419 scams too, have been recreated for acquiring unwitting internauts' faith via posing as messages from British authorities rather than the well-known officials of African banks representing ex-owners of diamond mines, published softpedia in news dated October 24, 2011.

Actually, bulk e-mails supposedly from Member of Parliament George Osborne, who's the United Kingdom Exchequer's Chancellor, are circulating online. These e-mails, mentioning about the so-called delayed global fund transfers, make efforts for enticing receivers into getting in touch with the scammers.

Reportedly, using an alluring caption, "Attention: Beneficiary," the fake e-mail states that the current PM's office has made it compulsory for the e-mail sender towards making sure that every authentic transfer or claim is cleared. The British government has adopted this important initiative for handling the stalled transfer problems that have been caused from the critical international monetary situation, adversely impacting banks. Accordingly, the government has set up the office of Her Majesty Treasury Debt for making the payments from the British banks' side, the e-mail elaborates.

Additionally, the e-mail urges the recipients to stop all contacts with people and entities they've hitherto been related to for handling the matter in question, including their area lawyers. Subsequently, the writer of the e-mail states that his idea is to fast revive the recipients' transfer problems and reform the same devoid of causing any disruption.

Meanwhile, the e-mail also tries to appear legitimate, so it spoofs the reply id as if to originate from the "london.com" domain that although sounds official, in reality, presents deals associated with tourism-related items, especially hotels.

Moreover, for sounding doubly persuasive, the e-mail advises recipients for remaining watchful of miscreants who direct to make various kinds of fee payments.

Eventually, Principal Virus Researcher Fraser at SophosLabs recommends that even if users don't become preys of social engineering within such scams, they mustn't respond to the e-mails and establish communication with the scammers for, that may well substantiate that their e-mail ids are active and thereby expose their own selves to more assaults. NakedSecurity published this, a blog post, on October 23, 2011.

Related article: US Passes Baton to Asia in Spam Relay

» SPAMfighter News - 11/1/2011