According to Kaspersky Lab experts, in September, spammers developed newer versions of the “Nigerian Letter” scam, using the Ebola virus as a theme in many mass-sent messages.
A large part of the mass thematic mailings also promoted various services using popular social networking sites, as spammers promised an immediate influx of new customers and increased income.
“Spammers usually try to exploit breaking news and current events. Fraudsters rarely miss an opportunity to use important events to attract users’ attention and convince them that their fraudulent messages are real. So, after the first news about the Ebola virus in July, it was not surprising that already in September, related mass spam emails began to be sent, exploiting this news to mislead recipients and extort money from them,” commented Tatyana Shcherbakova, Senior Spam Analyst at Kaspersky Lab.
The spam landscape in numbers
According to Kaspersky Lab’s analysis, spam messages accounted for an average of 66.5% of all emails in September, down 0.7 percentage points from August. Financial phishing accounted for 36.97% of spam messages detected by Kaspersky Lab’s anti-phishing solutions, up 1.7 percentage points from the previous month.
The main sources of spam messages were the US (12%), Vietnam (9.3%) and Russia (5.8%), while the most viruses were detected in Germany (9.11%), with the UK (8.45%) and the US (8.26%) following.
[blockquote]The main sources of spam messages were the US (12%), Vietnam (9.3%) and Russia (5.8%), while most viruses were detected in Germany (9.11%), with the UK (8.45%) and the US (8.26%) following.[/blockquote]
"Infected" spam
One example of an Ebola-based “Nigerian Letter” scam detected by Kaspersky Lab experts involved an email purporting to come from a wealthy Liberian lady who had died from the virus. It contained a long story about her children dying from the virus and a local medical center refusing to help her. The alleged lady was willing to donate over $1.5 million to a recipient, who would donate the money to charity.
The authors of another fraudulent mass spam email introduced themselves as employees of the World Health Organization and tried an unusual tactic to attract attention. Specifically, they invited readers to a conference, where discussions would be held on the Ebola virus and other medical topics. They also offered the recipient a job, with an annual salary of up to €350,000. The benefits included a company car to take on the position of WHO representative in the United Kingdom.
Among the most unusual spam emails of the month, Kaspersky Lab encountered messages aimed at collectors. These messages offered English-speaking users a free book about British decorations from the First World War. The emails with the generous offer purportedly came from SSAFA, a charity created to help British war veterans and their families.
The full version of Kaspersky Lab's September spam landscape report is available on Securelist.com.
