[LINK] fbi caught up in spam spoofing/phishing

[Jan Whitaker]

Flurry of Spam Targeting the Federal Bureau of Investigation
http://www.ic3.gov/media/2008/081210.aspx

Consumers continue to be inundated by spam purportedly from the
FBI. As with previous spam attacks, the latest versions use the names
of several high ranking executives within the FBI and even the IC3 to 
attempt to
defraud consumers.

Many of the spam e-mails currently in circulation claim to be an 
"official order"
from the FBI's Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division, from an alleged FBI
unit in Nigeria, confirm an inheritance or contain a lottery 
notification, all informing
recipients they have been named the beneficiary of millions of dollars.
To claim the large sum, recipients are instructed to furnish their 
personally identifiable
information (PII) and are often threatened with some type of penalty, 
such as prosecution, if they
fail to do so. Specific PII information requested includes, but is not
limited to, the recipient's name, banking information, telephone 
number, and a copy
of their passport.

The spam e-mail allegedly from the IC3 states that the recipient has 
extorted money
and will be given a limited amount of time to refund the money or 
face prosecution.

[snip]

[That's hilarious: if you fall for the original Nigerian spam, you're 
now up for this next stage threat from the FBI to pay the money back!]


Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com
personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

Writing Lesson #54:
Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for 
guests. - JW, May, 2007
_ __________________ _


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Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.9.16/1841 - Release Date: 10/12/2008 9:30 AM