Nobody likes to be informed that they’ve received a speeding ticket, but in today’s world of speed cameras and intersection flash-blubs, the practice of receiving a ticket without encountering a cop is becoming more common. Some enterprising ne’re-do-wells have apparently decided to take this to their advantage, and are now spreading a virus via fake email speeding tickets.
The email’s trickery largely relies on the fact that it appears to come from a government address (nyc.gov, to be specific) which helps the email’s credibility. It also attempts to work magic via false specificity by claiming that recipients were speeding at 7:25 am. That’s made up, of course – but anyone who happened to be on the road at that time might be inclined to think this makes the email legit.
Once the email has earned your trust, it directs you to open an attachment which is supposedly a form that can be filled out in response to the ticket. Instead, it’s a typical Trojan Horse virus.
If you do receive such an email, you can rest assured it’s not legitimate by fact that it’s an email. First notification of a speeding ticket via email would be unusual to say the least. In addition, the email text doesn’t provide any personal information about the recipient (such as name or address) which is an easy giveaway that the email is bogus. Finally, the Chatam Hall which is referred to in the email doesn’t exist.
Should you receive this email, simply delete and ignore it. It is harmless so long as you don’t open the attachment. Don’t forward the email to the police, either. They’re well aware of the trickery.
Source: MSNBC
Image Credit: Tech and Security
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IMHO, anyone who falls for a email scam deserves to lose their money and, furthermore, should probably not be permitted to use an internet-connected device without adequate supervision.
Maybe, but I’m sure we all have known co-workers, parents and grandparents who would easily fall for this sort of thing.
Yep. Several. But I’m only responsible for a couple of them. And I do make sure they’re not doing something silly.
Many times, just a moment’s pause to think shows that an email is a scam. After all, how do the police know your email address? And when there is not personally addressed, it’s the same as junk mail. A good rule of thumb to provide an older net user is, If it didn’t come First Class, and addressed specifically to you, it’s junk mail. Ignore it. The same applies to emails.
While I agree that most of the email scams are rather obvious ther are also ones that are well thought through and very hard to nail. I fell for such one myself once.
Not just New Yorkers. We get ‘em over here in Downton Abbey land. The chauffeur is spitting feathers!
I get 2 of them a day and I live in Atlanta, GA. I agree with Phil Fot
Are they for New York speeding tickets? Or do they claim to be from the state of Georgia?
Im just north of Detroit MI and i just received this email… and it is for the state of new York which I thought this is wrong because i wasnt in New York on July 2, 2011 at 7:25 am
It’s amazing that this can’t be tracked. I’ve received one and I’m working on logging the IP of the said user, if it proves successful I’m going to fly to their location and beat them mercilessly