A Daily Mail story about an unclaimed lottery jackpot is utilized by cybercriminals in an attempt to convince users to hand over their information, and maybe even some money.
Kaspersky experts have
come across the email which purports to come from one Mr. Jean-Marc Lietart.
“I write to seek your help to claim the unclaimed Euro Millions prize has been narrowed down to a ticket bought in Hertfordshire. Its holder has still to come forward to accept the windfall, nearly a fortnight after the draw,” the email reads.
This part of the email was actually copied and pasted from the Daily Mail article, which also notes that if the winner doesn’t claim the prize until December 5, the money will go to the National Lottery Good Causes
What follows is the “clever” part.
“I will like to present you as the winner of the above fund providing to you the winning ticket number for immediate claim,” the sender writes.
All he needs is the user's full name, address, age, occupation, and phone number. Once the victim responds, the con artists will likely request an advance payment.
It’s clear that crooks are beginning to rely more and more on legitimate news in order to make their schemes more convincing. Earlier today we’ve learned that they were using an FBI story to advertise a
similar scam.
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