419 Scam Resurfaces with FBI Spam
- Thursday, June 3, 2010, 0:51
- Threat Research
Cybercriminals have found yet another way to grab users’ attention. This time, they posed as members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from Washington D.C. to scam users with a spammed message.
As in any other scam, the email sender posed as someone from a legitimate body in this attack. The sender claims to be from the FBI. The spam, meanwhile, informs the recipient that he/she is the beneficiary of US$10.5 million. The fake FBI representative then gives the recipient instructions to contact the head of the “Online Transfer Department” of the United Trust Bank London. The said head, urges the email, is the only person who can take responsibility for giving out the promised millions. It even advises the email recipient to strictly follow the instructions in order to make the claim.
This, of course, is a hoax. For greater irony and to prove that cybercriminals will go for desperate measures to trick their victims, a note has even been added at the end. This informs the recipient of possible fraudsters who might attempt to deal with him/her.
To avoid becoming a victim of such a scam, always pay attention to every detail in email messages you receive. One can easily distinguish what is real and what is fake via careful observation. All you need to (continue reading...)