Today I received a spam email, and unlike other scams I’ve seen, in my opinion this particular piece of spam is a direct attempt by someone using a UK server to attempt identity theft - or even worse, an attempt to glean information from Americans so phony passports can be made for illegal entry into the United States. People all over the US fall for scams of this type, however, the information this particular email asks for suggests much more than a scam to make money, but I believe it is of a much more sinister nature, and people should be warned about this piece of spam because of national security. I have seen many of these scams, we all have - and most are ultimately aimed at getting you to release your financial information, and didn’t attempt to receive such detailed information, that if it winds up in the wrong hands, could easily be used for passport fraud and identity theft. You be the judge; heres a copy of the spam in question:
EUROMILLIONS INT [diane2frank@cox.net]
EURO MILLIONS INTERANTIONAL
FROM: THE DESK OF THE CYBER ANALYST,
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE
AWARD DEPARTMENT.,
REF: OYL /26510460037/02
BATCH: 24/00319/IPDDear Sir/madam,
ATTENTION: RE/ NOTIFICATION
Your ticket number:023-0148-790-459 with Serial number 5368/05 drew the lucky number: 29 Congratulations, you have just won yourself 1.5million Great Britain Pounds in the satellite software email lottery conducted by EURO MILLIONS in which e-mail addresses are picked randomly by software powered by the Internet.
Your email address was amongst those chosen this quarter and you are to
contact our Financial Controller for ClearanceContact our Financial Controller for Clearance. Here are the contact
info:Financial controller:
Mr.MARK STEWART
Email: financia001@hotmail.co.ukYou are to forward the following details to enable us clear your file
for immediate payment:Provide him with the information below:
1). Full name
2). Contact Address
3). Telephone Number
4). Fax Number
5). Marital Status
6). Occupation
7). Date of birth
8). Sex
9). Ref Number
10).Nationality
11). Scanned copy of your International Passport or Driving License
Yours faithfully,
MRS:SINDY HARVES
EURO MILLION CYBER ANALYST
This particular type of spam is extremely dangerous to the unwary, as it’s obviously an attempt at identity theft on an international scale and it specifically targets their passports - which to me, has extremely sinister implications. It also appears that it originated from an American email address, that is, unless they also have Cox in the UK. Probably just another worm in someone’s system, a favorite of hackers to send out their spam.
William Cormier
NOTE: Unless there is a COX Internet service in the UK, it’s obvious this email was piggy-backed through a hijacked American computer, a favorite of hackers to distribute their span while effectively covering their tracks. As many Americans that fall for scams of this type, if we are truly interested in protecting this nation from illegal entry by individuals who wish to harm this country, one of the major networks should do a special on these threats that are loosely masked as attempts to give away money. People fall for them all of the time, and it may be more than their money that is ultimately lost.
