FBI Cautions about Fraudulent E-mail Purporting to be from Director Mueller

FBI has issued an alert that Internet fraudsters are distributing fraudulent electronic mails signed in the name of Robert Mueller; Director of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in attempts to con unwitting Internauts, published Government Security News dated June 26, 2012.

On June 25, 2012, the FBI along with IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center), an alliance between NW3C (National White Collar Crime Center) and FBI, stated that both the agencies had got innumerable reports about fake electronic mail campaigns, which misrepresented officials or agents of FBI and/or Mueller. According to the agencies, the campaigns might work successfully as the involved fraudulent messages looked real with Mueller's pictures and FBI's letterhead, seal alternatively banners.

Moreover, FBI stated that there were more fraudulent schemes, which masqueraded as the agency while asserted as being from the foreign and home offices of FBI. Several different techniques too were used in the campaigns like outright warnings along with extortion e-mails, malware attachments for monitoring websites along with Internet auction scams, according to FBI.

The agency, through a security advisory, outlined that no official or agent of FBI and certainly not Robert Mueller would ever dispatch e-mails to citizens. They wouldn't blackmail anyone; threaten anyone; tell someone he was winner of a lottery nor inform anybody that he had acquired a fortune.

Thus FBI urged that people who wanted to know the latest news regarding online scams should visit www.fbi.gov where they could access e-mail alerts via opening a red envelop on the screen. Also, anyone getting a scam electronic mail would do well to inform IC3 on its website www.ic3.gov. And to get additional news about e-scams, the FBI suggested citizens to go to the New E-Scams and Warnings section on FBI's website.

Meanwhile, cyber-criminals using FBI and its chief Robert Mueller's name within their fraudulent e-mail scams aren't unknown. During July 2011, there was information about an advance-fee e-mail the IC3 got wherein FBI Director Robert Mueller supposedly was the sender of the message. Simultaneously, FBI further got several complaints regarding junk electronic mails, which purportedly from the agency, threatened of arrests or pledged enormous winnings.

Related article: FBI Anti-Phishing Probe Leads To Arrest Of phishing Gang

» SPAMfighter News - 7/5/2012