Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have stopped
thousands of messages related to an email scam that attempts to
fool computer users into thinking they are in line to receive money
from a jailed Russian oil tycoon.
The emails, which claim to come from the personal secretary of
billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky, offer almost $10 million if the
email recipient will assist in the transfer of $46 million of
Khodorkovsky's fortune.
Khodorkovsky, who was CEO of Russian oil company Yukos, was
arrested at gunpoint at a Siberian airfield in 2003, and is serving
an eight year prison sentence on tax and fraud charges.
However, Sophos warns computer users that this is a ruse to
steal personal details, and that the fraudsters behind the scam
campaign can use such information to steal money from bank accounts
and commit identity fraud.
The scam email claims to come from
Khodorkovsky's secretary.
"Originally we saw the scammers sending their messages about
Khodorkovsky in Russian, but now they spreading their wings and
sending their scam emails all around the world in English. The
notoriety of the case against the Yukos CEO has made his fame a
prime target for exploitation by internet criminals," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "Email users should be on their
guard not to believe everything they receive via email, and ensure
their spam defenses are kept up-to-date."
This email con-trick is the latest of many 419 scams. These
scams are named after the relevant section of the Nigerian penal
code where many of the scams originated and are unsolicited emails
where the author offers a large amount of money. Once a victim has
been drawn in, requests are made from the fraudster for private
information which may lead to requests for money, stolen
identities, and financial theft.
Other examples of 419 email scams include a message claiming to
come from a persecuted widow of the late Nigerian head of state, an
associate of the massacred Nepalese royal family, and even an
African astronaut stranded on the Mir spacestation.
Sophos recommends companies automatically update their corporate
virus protection, and run a consolidated
solution at the email gateway to defend against viruses and
spam.
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.