Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have warned of
a widespread phishing email campaign that tries to trick users out
of money by pretending to be a random cash prize from Gmail,
Google's popular free email service.
The emails claim that the recipient has been randomly selected
for a $500 cash prize, and that the money can be automatically paid
to them if they click on the embedded web link.
The email claims that the recipient has won
$500 from Gmail.
The link users are told to click on pretends to be a legitimate
Gmail link, but really points to a bogus Tripod-hosted website. The
fake web page says that there has been a problem sending the
payment, and asks victims to enter their details and pay a
membership fee of $8.60.
The web page pretends to be connected to Google
Gmail.
"Of course this email wasn't really sent by the folks at Gmail,
and the $500 cash prize doesn't exist. Anyone tempted to try and
collect it is in danger of walking straight into a trap set by
these fraudsters," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "People need to learn that there
is no such thing as a free lunch, and to be much more wary of
unsolicited email communications whoever they may appear to come
from."
Earlier this year, Sophos revealed in a
survey that 58% of people receive a phishing email every day,
and the company recommends that computer users protect themselves
with a consolidated solution which can
defend against the threats of spam, spyware and viruses.
Organizations concerned about being fraudulently represented in
phishing campaigns can sign up to the Sophos early warning system,
Sophos PhishAlert.
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.