E-mail Scam Uses Name of 2013 ICC Champions Trophy

Symantec the security company's experts have just detected scam e-mails which pose as messages sent from the International Cricket Council (ICC). The e-mails spotted are exploiting the currently going on ICC Champions Trophy of 2013 in Wales and England, the security experts indicate.

The scam's perpetrators are Nigerian scammers who've crafted the e-mails in text format having Portable Document Format (PDF) and .doc files. The latest fraudulent e-mails carry a .Microsoft document attachment labeled ICCUPDATE.doc.

As characteristic of 419 e-mail frauds, the current fake e-mail announces to the recipient as being the winner of one totally fresh Camry Solara valuing EUR 85,000. It explains that a lottery draw was conducted from which the winner's electronic mail id was obtained that was again used for the ultimate raffle carried out at the Japan-situated main office.

Symantec highlights that this stage of the e-mail campaign merely represents the beginning. For, soon the message directs the recipient for dispatching personal information towards his prize claim. The information asked comprises the recipient's name, age, address, sex, telephone number, occupation, and country, state and city of origins.

However, for remaining safe from the above kind of scam e-mails, a few important suggestions are recommended. First, users mustn't answer e-mails, which promise free or attractive products (similar to the Camry Solara within the above stated instance), except if one is sure about the authenticity of their sources as well as he has really taken part in the mentioned competition. Second, they mustn't disclose personal information (as asked in the above stated instance) by way of replying to the e-mails. Finally, they mustn't view suspicious attachments carried within uninvited e-mails (like the aforementioned e-mail).

Meanwhile, cricket isn't the sole subject that e-mail scammers are exploiting within their schemes, Symantec laments.

After the host nations' names were announced regarding the 2018 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in March 2011, security alert was issued to FIFA about an increasing number of fake electronic mails falsely asserting as connected with the Qatar-hosted 2022 FIFA World Cup and/or Russia-hosted 2018 FIFA World Cup.

» SPAMfighter News - 6/21/2013