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‘419 E-Mail Scam’ Used in New Approach, Says Sophos

Senior Technology Consultant Graham Cluley with Sophos the security company says that although there's been a decline in the number of "419 fraudulent e-mail" assaults, still cyber-criminals in another instance have applied one intriguingly fresh approach that the company's researchers recently unearthed. Help Net Security reported this, June 19, 2012.

It was an e-mail, which someone named Karen Shaw sent and Cluley received that upset the security consultant. The electronic mail stated that Karen, of New York, had met with tragedy when her husband along with their three children died during an accident. That left her unable to "gain" herself ever-since, she wrote.

However, she had currently brought herself round sufficiently to wish for assisting others by disbursing them loans for beginning an own business.

Initially the e-mail didn't specify the way the woman would give her idea shape, so after Cluley wrote back, a return message mentioned a $10m she was expecting which was held up till a mere $15K of debt her husband owed had got cleared.

Certainly, it was easy to resolve the problem if someone paid the amount in exchange of which she would facilitate a $200,000 (EUR150,000) right away, the message promised.

The e-mail even tried to appear legitimate so it arrived with the woman's passport duly scanned.

The ruse goes on as Churchill Spencer the woman's advocate contacts the would-be prey, says Cluley.

This person, in addition to showing himself as an expert in Microsoft Word, also appears as somebody whom Cluley could believe.

Although at first Cluley suggested that the lawyer communicate with his group of authorized officials, he eventually chose to stay away from chasing the offer.

The specialist remarks that indeed one should not either. When anyone from nowhere simply makes an offer to someone that sounds too true one should realize it isn't so, he adds. Nakedsecurity.sophos.com published this on June 18, 2012.

Cluley concludes that some people mayn't get victimized with such a scam, yet they may know other weak alternatively elderly persons who could to whom they could help by pointing out the mistake of pursuing such e-mails. Nakedsecurity.sophos.com published this.

Related article: “Loopholes did not cause online banking thefts”: ICBC

» SPAMfighter News - 6/26/2012

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