Scammers have launched a new spam campaign, combining typical ‘Nigerian’ scam emails with fake Google Calendar meeting invitations. If this email message is opened, it may automatically place an entry into the recipient’s Google calendar.

This scam is more sophisticated than most Nigerian scams, since it personalises each email and bypasses URL filtering by sending a different link to each recipient.

Nigerian scams work by informing the victim that they have inherited or are otherwise due a large amount of money from an unlikely source. The spammer then tells the victim to send money in order to ’set up the delivery’ of the money transfer.

Google support has been notified to block the accounts used in this particular scam.

Sample scam mail:

From: —– on behalf of Ahmed Makunba [[email protected]]
Required:
Optional:
Subject: FW: [Invitation] Ahmed from Sudan? @Fri mar 28 1am – 2am ()
Location:
When: Friday, 28 March 2008 7:00 PM-8:00 PM (GMT+10:00) Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney.

Dear Sir

I want to use this medium to introduce myself to you? I got your personal contact through my private search. I am a Sudan National and my name is Ahmed Makunba. I am the first son of Dr. Makunba Kamokai. My father was the former Chairman of electoral commission in Sudan. my father was killed on 26 may , 2005 in ongoing war in country by the military in capital city of Sudan Dafour in cold blood ,Since then things has never been the same with me. presently I am on the run to Ghana border. I pray that my decision to contact you will be given a genuine approval considering the facts that we have not known each other before.
Before my father was killed he depositedsome huge amount of money in Ghana with a Security company, in a metallic save box which contain the sum of $30Million us dollars.He did not tell the company that it is money that is inside the box, it was deposited and described to be containing precious items and personal effects. I have worked out arrangements to get this Box out of Africa as my father told me. Early before his sudden death, he told us that I should not invest the money in Africa for security reason; I should send the money to abroad to a country that has political stability.
Now I need your assistance to receive the box in your Country for me as my trustee as soon the box arrives. you will meet the diplomatic officials and they will hand the box over to you meanwhile I will send you all the entire documents covering the legality of the box that contain the money As you can understand, presently I am in very tight situation with my
old grandmother and that is the reason why I work out this strategy to take this box out of Africa so that will receive it as my beneficiary.
I have worked out 20% of the amount of $30 Million US for you and your family. 10% kept aside for all expenses and the remaining 70% is what I will invest and live with you in your country,all I need is your reliability and trustworthy concerning this transaction and I will be very grateful if only you can help me out of this Situation and Carry on this transaction because I want this Fund to be moved abroad for investment without any further delay.
I am counting on you looking forward to hearing from you.Kindly reply me back via this email address([email protected])

Thanks and God bless you.

Ahmed Makunba

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A Washington woman was sentenced on Wednesday to two years in prison and five years of supervised release for her role in an Internet counterfeit check scheme.

Edna Fiedler pleaded guilty in March to attempting to defraud U.S. citizens in a scheme known as a Nigerian check scam.

Fiedler helped her accomplices in Nigeria send fake checks to people who had agreed to cash the checks on behalf of the sender, keeping some of the proceeds and sending the rest back.

The Nigerians found people willing to cash the fake checks via e-mail. They would send their names as well as fake documents that looked like Wal-Mart money orders, Bank of America checks, U.S. Postal Service checks and American Express traveler’s checks to Fiedler. They told her how to fill out the checks and where to send them.

The recipients most likely thought they were helping out someone who needed a person in the U.S. to cash a check for them, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. They were able to get the money by cashing the checks, and sent most of it to either Fiedler or her Nigerian accomplices. However, once the checks were discovered to be fake, the people who cashed them were responsible for the full amount.

All told, Fiedler sent out US$609,000 worth of phony checks and money orders. When U.S. Secret Service agents investigating the case searched Fiedler’s house, they found additional fake checks worth more than $1.1 million that she was preparing to send out.

At a recent conference in Seattle, a representative from the U.S. Postal Service and Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna described ways they’re working to shut down these kinds of scams, particularly because they often involve people who don’t realize that they’re taking part in illegal activities.

The U.S. Postal Service recently sent 15 postal investigators to Lagos, Nigeria, and during a three-month period there, they helped intercept counterfeit checks, lottery tickets and eBay overpayment schemes with a face value of $2.1 billion, Chris Siouris, a cyber investigator at the U.S. Postal Inspector, said at the recent conference. Siouris, McKenna and others are pushing for ways to better educate Internet users so that people don’t unwittingly help out in these kinds of e-mail scams.

Scams that come to you on your mobile can be difficult to recognise. They might come from somebody who talks as if they know you; they might come through a missed call from an unknown number that you redial; or they might be upfront about what they are promoting, but have hidden charges.

You might be offered free or cheap ring tones, or the chance to win fantastic prizes.

When you reply to these messages or calls, you may find yourself disappointed in the product or signed up to a service you don’t want or cannot stop. You could be left facing a huge phone bill.

If you receive a missed call or text message from an unknown number, the best thing to do is to delete the message or ignore the call.

Always do your homework before you agree to any offer you receive over your mobile and never agree to any offer that you are not completely sure about.