Surfers were yesterday urged to be wary of unsolicited emails offering training and well paid jobs in the financial sector. Rather than offering a route into a lucrative job such emails are likely part of a devious scam masterminded by Russian spammers, security vendor Sophos warns.

The emails, which claim to come from merchant bank Credit Suisse, offer a free two-week training course over the web. However, the emails (sample sent to Australia here) and associated website are an elaborate fake. Users who sign-up for the course may be duped into helping to transfer monies overseas from online bank accounts compromised through phishing attacks. It's also possible victims might be ripped off directly themselves. The bogus website featured in the scam email is no longer available but surfers are urged to be wary of a reappearance of the fraudulent ruse.

"Scammers are getting more and more sophisticated in the way in which they attempt to steal money from innocent internet users," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "This campaign involves luring people who may wish to generate an income from home into signing up for a fake training course that may teach them a very expensive lesson." ®

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