Security news8 August 2007
Man loses $1.5 million in Nigerian email scam - six people arrested Netherlands police apprehend alleged cybercriminals
Email scams attempt to trick computer users into making unwise investments
Sophos, a world leader in IT security and control, has reminded computer users of the danger of internet scams following the arrest of six men alleged to have defrauded their victim out of AU $1.76 million (US $1.5 million) through email.
According to media reports, Dutch police have arrested six men in connection with extorting money from a 49-year-old Australian man after offering, via email, a business contract worth US $90 million. Five of the men arrested are said to come from West Africa, with two of them originating from Nigeria, home of many similar scams in the past.
These email con-tricks, known as a 419 scam, 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.
"Police in The Netherlands have been particularly active in tracking down the perpetrators of 419 scams, and there have been a number of arrests in the last year or so," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "What may stagger the average man in the street is just how much money can be made by the criminal gangs behind these international con-tricks. The sad fact is that there are people who fall too easily for these scams, and many would probably never report their mistake to the authorities."
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.
Earlier this year Sophos reported how a former treasurer of Alcona County, Michigan, had been arrested after allegedly investing more than $1.2 million of county funds in Nigerian fraud scams.
Last month, Sophos published its Security Threat Report July 2007, examining the latest trends in spam, malware and hacking. Included in the report are details of some of the more notable arrests made by the cybercrime-fighting authorities since the beginning of the year.
- Download "Sophos Security Threat Report July 2007"
- Download a podcast on the Sophos Security Threat Report July 2007 now
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About Sophos
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.
