Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have warned
internet users of a series of spam campaigns which pretend that the
recipient has won a FIFA-sponsored lottery in an attempt to steal
bank account information.
The messages prey on interest in the Football World Cup
tournament, scheduled to take place for the first time in South
Africa in 2010, and claim that recipients have been selected to
receive one million US dollars. FIFA, the international governing
body of the sport of soccer, is so concerned about the email scams
that it has posted a warning on its
website.
The scammers are sending out bogus lottery win
notifications, and claim to be connected with FIFA.
"Email scammers are attempting to trade off the good name of one
of the world's greatest sporting tournaments. Everyone should be
suspicious if they are unexpectedly told they have won a fortune,"
said Graham
Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Computer
users who fall for this trick will be feeling as sick as a parrot
when their bank accounts are emptied and they find they have become
the victim of identity fraudsters."
The latest scams come just months after the Sober-N worm posed as free
tickets from FIFA for the 2006 World Cup.
Sophos reminds users to be wary of unsolicited emails, and has
published information about how individuals can learn how to protect
themselves against this and other phishing attacks.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.