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| The email claims you have purchased an Apple iPod
MP3 player |
Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses
and spam, has advised customers about a new email scam which is
apparently attempting to flood the phonelines of the Cambridgeshire
Police Force.
Sophos has received a number of queries regarding an email users
have received claiming that their credit cards have been debited in
regard to an unknown purchase of a 40GB Apple iPod MP3 player.
The email claims that £399.99 has been debited from the user's
credit card, and that if they have any questions they should
contact the vendor via telephone. However, the telephone number
given is the general enquiries line for the main police
headquarters in Cambridge, UK.
In a statement, Cambridgeshire Police said: "We are warning
people across the country about an email that has been sent today
advising people that they will have almost £400 removed from their
bank accounts."
"This appears to be a deliberate attempt to affect the service
provided by the force," continued Deputy Chief Constable Alan
Given, "If you received such an email we would advise you to ignore
it and not ring the customer services number that is listed."
"It is too early to say who might be behind this spam attack,
and whether they are simply causing mischief or attempting to
disrupt the operations of the police force," said Graham Cluley,
senior technology consultant for Sophos. "However, it is good to
know that the police are investigating and doing their best to
stamp out this kind of nuisance."
The delivery address and company name given in the email do not
appear to exist.
The full text of the email can be read in the hoax section of the
Sophos website. Sophos recommends users ignore the email, and do
not reply to it.
On 8 December, police announced that a 21-year-old man has been
arrested and released on bail in connection with the incident.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.