Symantec experts say we should expect a sharp spike in the volume of such spam

Nov 9, 2012 23:31 GMT  ·  By

There’s more than a month until Christmas, but scammers have already started sending out malicious emails.

Symantec experts have come across a number of samples, advertising gifts, kids projects, diets, and even “cash.”

The subject lines usually look something like this: “Christmas Letters from Santa,” “Christmas Tree Plant” or “The National Christmas Lottery.”

The fake Christmas cards, for instance, are designed to trick users into opening an attachment that hides a piece of malware identified as W32/AutoRun.BBC!worm.

Other spam messages are simply designed to lure internauts to websites that offer counterfeit products and fake pharmaceuticals.

Researchers expect to see a “sharp spike” in the volume of Christmas-related spam over the upcoming days. That’s why users are advised to be careful about what attachments they open and what links they click on.