Phishing Scam Targets at Families of Deceased Army Soldiers

In a new phishing e-mail scam that targets at the Families of Fallen Soldiers, the con artists are promising compensation to the user in return for personal information in the hope to steal identity as reported by ARMY.MIL/NEWS on June 12, 2008.

According to the news received so far, by using the Army G3 Information Paper, the scammers pose to be representatives of the Army Human Resources Command or the Defense Finance and Accounting Office.

The Army G3 Information Paper reveals to the deceased soldiers' families that they would receive monetary compensation of more than $12 Million that would be released to them within a week of their reply with the information requested in the e-mail.

The Paper further discloses that the families entitled to the compensatory payment would be asked to provide their sensitive information such as birth date, address, Social Security number and other details of the Soldier.

The instructions to the targeted families further ask them to either contact the Army Human Resource Command Offices in Alexandria, Va., or send the information via e-mail to a Yahoo account operating overseas.

Elucidating on the latest phishing scam on account of which the late soldiers' families are left in a rage, Angela Sykes, Operations Security Officer, Army G3, said that the scam artists reportedly obtained the contacts of fallen Soldiers from the Internet. Then, they either e-mail or call the families using the last name of the Soldier as known in his hometown, as reported by ARMY.MIL/NEWS on June 12, 2003.

Sykes said that the Army G3 had sent the message to each of the OPSEC program managers as well as had directed them spread the information across their personnel.

Meanwhile, The Army Human Resource Command requested for advising the field about the e-mail scam following the Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operation Center's knowledge of the incident.

The Army Installation Management Command was also informed about the scam together with the Family, Morale Welfare and Recreation Command.

In a similar news, a phishing campaign that attacked 1.9 Million users of Army Knowledge Online (AKO) circulated across the Internet in December 2007, according to the AKO officials, as reported by ARMYTIME in December 2007.

Related article: Phishing With A Redirector Code

» SPAMfighter News - 6/27/2008