An email coming from a Yahoo! email address claims that the 19-year-old correspondent has found a herbal root that has successfully helped the sick recover from AIDS, and that hospitals have confirmed that patients are no longer HIV positive. The email continues, asking for help in bringing the cure to English-speaking markets. People that receive the email believe they are helping the world fight AIDS and also potentially make money on the distribution of the cure. However, this is just a ruse to steal personal details, and that the fraudsters behind the scam campaign can use such information to steal money from bank accounts and commit identity fraud. This email con is the latest of many 419 scams. These scams are named after the relevant section of the Nigerian penal code where many of the scams originated and are unsolicited emails where the author offers a large amount of money. Once a victim has been drawn in, requests are made from the fraudster for private information which may lead to requests for money, stolen identities, and financial theft. 

Related Posts

This entry was posted on Monday, July 24th, 2006 at 12:06 am and is filed under Security.