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State Senator of Tennessee E-mail Got Hacked

As per the reports by Softpedia.com on November 29, 2010, the personal mail account of Tennessee State Senator Mae Beavers (Tennessee, US) has been hacked by unidentified attackers.

The fake mails stated that Beavers was stuck in London after her credit cards and purse were stolen and requested for a loan to get back to her home.

The hacker allegedly sent forged mails to those present in Beavers contact list.

Senator Beavers came to know of the security infringement when she started getting calls from about the strange mails which she has reportedly sent. But, after realising that her account has been hacked, Senator Beavers sent an alert mail stating that her Gmail account has been compromised.

Further, she also called Tennessee Bureau of Investigation but did not disclose as to how hacking might have took place.

Also, Beavers is not the first US Senator whose mail account has been compromised. In July 2010, Iowa (US) State, Senator Bob Dvorsky's email account was hacked in a very similar manner.

In addition, it is not only the USA politicians who are being targeted. In July 2010, email account of Zimbabwe's Foreign Affairs Minister, Moses Mzila Ndlovu was also hacked.

Security experts opine that the stuck traveler is the usual 419 Nigerian scam, also known as advance-fee fraud.

They explained that with the purpose to deceive people into sending them money, they create a fabricated story who lost their wallet and belongings and can not reach home from a remote location. The scam becomes more authentic if the mails come from somebody known of the victim and that is the reason why hackers use hacked accounts.

Lastly, as per the security experts, the hacking of the mail account of a senior politician like Senator Mae Beavers is a serious issue if we look from a larger perspective. Also, there is no clear indication what information could have been stolen that could be help to identity thieves.

Related article: Stock Spamming On the Rise

» SPAMfighter News - 12/10/2010

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