Fake Email Purports to be from the FBI
Here is another example of a fake email that has recently circulated on the Internet. It purports to be form the FBI. It is not from the FBI. It has the following text:
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Dear Sir/Madam,
we have logged your IP-address on more than 40 illegal Websites.
Important: Please answer our questions!
The list of questions are attached.
Yours faithfully,
M. John Stellford
++-++ Federal Bureau of Investigation -FBI-
++-++ 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 2130
++-++ Washington, DC 20535
++-++ (202) 324-3000
The purpose of this fake email is to induce you to open the file attachment, which may have this or similar filename: “text-indictment_cit1246.zip” Inside the zip archive is a executable file with the file extension .pif . This file type is known as a Windows Program Information File, and can run external programs and code that is within the file itself.
You can bet that the code withing the attachment is not good for you nor your computer. This attachment could contain a wide variety of malware including viruses, Trojan Horses, and identity theft tools.
This is another example of phish type emails that seek to induce the reader in to opening the attachment and thereby launching malicious code.
There are several clues that this is a fake email. But first and foremost, do you think the FBI is going to investigate illegal activity by sending an email form letter? We hope not. But far too many good folks fall for this sort of faked email. Please don’t let yourself, your family or friends be one of them.
By the way, the address and phone number of the FBI contained in the email are not fake. But everything else is.
- Practice Safe Computing -
