14 DAY TRIAL // Unknown scammers have hacked into the Yahoo! email account of Iowa State Senator Bob Dvorsky and used it to send scam emails to his contacts. The rogue messages claimed the senator is stranded in Scotland after his wallet was stolen and needs money to get back home.
Democrat Sen. Bob Dvorsky's of Iowa realized yesterday that his personal email account has been compromised, after friends informed him of receiving fraudulent messages from it. The whole scam was crafted around Mr. Dvorsky's political position, which suggests that perpetrators knew exactly whose mailbox they are abusing.
The scam emails had a subject of "Emergency please" and read:
"Hope you get this on time, sorry I didn't inform you about my trip in Scotland for a Program, I'm presently in Edinburgh and am having some difficulties here because i misplaced my wallet on my way to the hotel where my money and other valuable things were kept. presently i have limited access to internet, I will like you to assist me with a loan of 10,000 Pounds to sort-out my hotel bills and to get myself back home.
i have spoken to the embassy here but they are not responding to the matter effectively, I will appreciate whatever you can afford to assist me with, I'll Refund the money back to you as soon as i return, let me know if you can be of any help. I don’t have a phone where i can be reached.
Please let me know immediately.
Regards. Sen. Bob Dvorsky."
In an interview with KCRG-TV9 Sen. Dvorsky said he believes his account was compromised months ago when he responded to a phishing email asking for his password. Apparently, the email was made to appear as coming from a Yahoo! representative.
According to the TV station, the first to inform the senator about the security breach was Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulrabek, who immediately caught onto the scam. Following the incident, the Iowa Senate Majority’s office has sent out a warning advising Dvorsky's colleagues to ignore the email.
The senator has contacted Yahoo! and is working with the company to secure his account. He said that after this incident he believes laws covering such crimes need to be tougher.
Senator Dvorsky is not the first high profile politician to have his personal email account hacked. A year ago South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was forced into admitting to an extramarital affair he was having with a woman from Buenos Aires after his email was breached. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin also had her email compromised and private conversations leaked onto the Internet during the last presidential campaign.
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