Spammers Googly over Ongoing Ashes Series

Contributor: Sujay Kulkarni

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The Ashes Test cricket series, one of most popular Test series in cricket, is played between England and Australia. It is played alternately in England and Australia and is the oldest test rivalry between these two sides. Cricket fans are glued to the TV and their online devices to watch this riveting series.

In the current Ashes series England is leading 3-0 and is on the cusp of creating history against Australia—if they beat them hands down in the last test match, which now is a real possibility. However, what is making the rounds is not Scholes, Carrick, or Robin Van Persie, but Captain Cook and his elite squad waiting to steamroll Australia.

This interesting scenario has got scammers smacking their lips. They have come up with a trick to lure you into sending them your personal information over email because your email address has won  "242,500,000 USD in the 2013 ASHES SERIES".

Here is the catch, you have one obligation to fulfill by replying back to the scammer with your "personal details". Well, that would set the ball rolling for the scammer, wouldn't it?

In a typical 419 spam, the scammer mentions in the email that you have won—an award of $50,000 USD for example—and asks you to reply back with your personal details, immediately to claim the money.

Symantec customers should take the following precautionary measures to stay safe:

  • Update operating system patches when prompted
  • Update the antivirus patches regularly
  • Do not open any unsolicited emails when you do not recognize the sender or the subject and avoid clicking on suspicious email attachments
  • When dealing with unsolicited mails avoid sending any personal details, especially to unknown persons

Enjoy the ongoing the Ashes Test cricket series without getting bowled over by any Spammer’s googly.