Some scammers are reportedly trying to emulate the FBI to release malicious software, but also to make their messages more credible.
The federal Internet Crime Complaint (IC3) issued a prenotice on Wednesday because it found several complaints from people who received emails claiming to be from IC3.
Each message states that the recipient owes various amounts of money as compensation for cyber attacks or scams and asks them to complete an attached document with their personal information.
Yes, you guessed it, this particular file contains malware.
The email claims that a Nigerian man was arrested by the FBI in Atlanta, USA. and that the recipient's email address was found on computer of the scammer. The message requires the recipient to fill out an attached document with their contact information and return it to the “service.”
"At least three other versions of the same scam used by IC3 have been identified," the FBI warns. "Since July 2017, IC3 has received many complaints about the same fraud."
There are currently two other versions of such emails in circulation. The former claims to be from the FBI's IC3 office in Houston, Texas and informs the recipient that he owes $ 10,5 million in damages for his involvement in a bank fraud.
The third parchange takes a more threatening tone, stating that the recipient's IP address has been tracked since September 2017 for cybercrimes. So the message requires the recipient to fill out the attached form and return it.
So far, the FBI says no one appears to have been financially affected by the scams. Federalists are reportedly looking for the scammers, and arrests are likely to be expected.
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