The notifications purport to come from the Ministry of Justice

May 19, 2014 13:38 GMT  ·  By

Internet users should be on the lookout for bogus emails that inform them of a parking ticket. Experts warn that the notifications carry a piece of malware.

The emails spotted by Hoax Slayer read something like this:

“Your vehicle was recorded parked on our Clients Private Property driveways on the 15.05.2014 and remained on site for 2 hour 29 min. A notice was sent to you on 10.04.2014 which gave 28 days to pay full PARKING CHARGE or challenge the issue.

The amount of £78.00 is now due if payment not received within 28 days, an additional 40.00 administration charge will be incurred. Failure to pay the full outstanding balance within 14 days of the date of this notice could result in the outstanding balance being registered as a debt against you.”

The file that’s attached to the email is not a document containing more information, as cybercriminals want potential victims to believe. Instead, it’s a piece of malware.

The sample analyzed by Hoax Slayer purports to originate from the United Kingdom Ministry of Justice, which means that users in Britain are targeted. However, it’s possible that there are versions targeting users in other countries as well.

Internauts in the UK who receive such emails are advised to report them to Action Fraud.