Modeling Agency Scam attacks Australia

The subject of a warning from security firm Sophos is a phishing scam for identity theft currently spamming in Australia. Posing as an Australia-based modeling and casting agency, applicants are urged to try their luck as models, actors and potential agents for working in movies and TV shows. The name of a legitimate Australian firm is used to deceive applicants into disclosing their personal details, thus, creating risk of identity thefts.

Unsuspecting applicants are directed to reply with their personal information and a self picture to be considered for a potential role. Though the email, falsely, claims to have been sent from the registered firm in Australia, the spam email has an entirely different email address.

Paul Ducklin of Sophos offers some advice about treating your personal data as valuable. Parents are urged to educate their kids in the dangers of disclosing personal contact information on the Internet merely in response to an email. Several cases have come to light of recent convictions across the globe where young girls were stalked and seduced by pedophiles online. There was also an instance of a group of young Sydneysiders who were fooled into accepting electronic transfers into their bank accounts by cyber criminals. They withdrew money for a cut from the proceeds before they were caught and charged.

Popular TV shows like American Idol with their ongoing craze make prime targets for online phishing scams. With people craving for the fame and money promised by such shows, they make easy victims for scams. Typically, these phishing emails open by asking if you've ever been told that you should be on television, by family and friends and, perhaps, yourself felt the same way but didn't know how to go about it. Innocent and eager recipients are, thus, easily taken in by them. The email that sounds too good to believe is almost certain to be so. Never try, buy or reply, is what Ducklin advises.

The recommendation for users is to take adequate security precautions including anti-spam and anti-phishing filters updated on a regular basis to ensure safety from these scams.

» SPAMfighter News - 9/11/2006