Today's Security Fix

Can spam save your relationship?

One of the most enjoyable aspects of writing about IT security is following the latest in social engineering. While the technology that cybercriminals employ in attempts to swindle Internet users is interesting, what’s really impressive are the devices they use to try and lure people into responding to their offers.

Here’s a good one – spammers offering help with personal relationships.

Symantec says a new spam campaign has launched that offers to help the recipient take ‘total control’ of their relationships. With the subject title “Have Them At Your Feet,� the spammer offers to solve problems created by cheating or back-talking partners, unrequited love, and liars.

“If any of [these scenarios] applies to you, then I can help you,� says the spammer. “I will have he or she (sic) at your feet.�

The spammer, who claims to have helped “some famous people,� works out of the U.K., the e-mail says, and can do the job with very little information and for a small fee. All the recipient must do is send an e-mail to the enclosed address. Symantec assumes the scam here is to extract personal information from respondents, most likely for financial gain.

So much for having them at your feet.

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