Email scams attempt to fool innocent computer users out of their
savings
Experts at SophosLabs™ have
reminded computer users of the threat posed by so-called "Letters
from Nigeria" as rumors of Chelsea Clinton's new boyfriend have
been published in the press.
American tabloid stories have reported that Chelsea, former
first daughter and Bill and Hillary Clinton's only child, is
secretly dating young investment banker Marc Mezvinsky. The
relationship has thrown into the spotlight the curious story of
Mezvinsky's father, former Iowa congressman Ed Mezvinsky, who is
currently serving a prison sentence for fraud.
Ed Mezvinsky, who was at one time an ambassador to a United
Nations commission, turned his back on politics in the 1990s and
fell victim to a number of "advanced fee fraud" schemes (also known
as "419 scams") originating from Africa that promised great wealth.
To continue participating in the schemes, Mezvinsky used money
stolen from others and was convicted in 2003 on 31 counts of fraud.
It is estimated that in total $10.4 million was defrauded from
banks and individuals.
"The story of the rise and fall of Ed Mezvinsky acts as a useful
warning that anyone can be caught off guard and fall for a 'Letter
from Nigeria'. These emails promise riches, but are actually con
tricks designed to leave you out of pocket. Everyone should be
suspicious about unsolicited emails," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "It's perhaps no surprise that
Chelsea Clinton has been trying to keep her relationship secret,
for fear of her boyfriend's dad bringing political embarrassment to
her parents."
419 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.
"Although many of these con tricks originate in Nigeria, the
victims may be as far away as the United States, UK or Australia,"
continued Cluley. "419 email scams are a global problem and users
need to be aware of the threat to avoid ending up in the kind of
mess that Mezvinsky has found himself in."
Sophos recommends that businesses protect themselves with a
consolidated solution against the threats
of spam, spyware and viruses; and that users exercise caution when
receiving unsolicited emails.
Ed Mezvinsky is expected to be released in November 2008.
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.