Scammers attempt to cash in on volcanic ash travel chaos

Scammers are hoping to hoodwink travellers who were stranded by the volcanic ash cloud last month as fresh plumes have disrupted flights once more in the UK.

The emails invite recipients to apply to a compensation fund from Frank Adam at the Civil Aviation Authority. In reality there is no Frank Adam and no fund - the emails are intended to lure victims into an advance fee fraud.

"You will either be asked for an 'administration fee' to release your payment, or be sent a fake cheque and be asked to send the fee by wire transfer once you’ve paid the cheque into your account," Scam Detectives warns.

The fraud watch website has a full write-up of the scam, along with copies of the offending emails, here.

A rather less plausible email scam has also been doing the rounds, claiming that boffins at the Large Hadron Collider are about to create a black hole.

But don't worry, you'll be safe if you catch an expensive flight to the South Pacific. All you need to do is send $3,000 to a travel agent in Mumbai. Via Western Union, of course.

More detail on the scam, which targets extraordinarily credulous tin-foil hat types, can be found at Scam Detectives here.

Suggestions that the scam was based on a rejected script from Lost could not be confirmed at the time of going to press. ®