Scam email claiming to be from the Oxfam charity discovered.

A scam email claiming that the recipient has won £850,000 in an Oxfam charity lottery has been uncovered by Sophos, a leading anti-virus and spam company.

The email, that claims to be from a Dr Terry Williams the National Secretary of Oxfam UK, asks the receiver to reply to a live.com email address or ring a 070 personal phone number. These 070 phone numbers are usually redirected to a phone number in another part of the world, where the scammers will try to fool the victim into supplying confidential information such as bank details and other facts that can be used in identity theft.

The email goes by the subject line “Oxfam Grant/Donation Award 2008!!!!!!!” – alarm bells should start ringing at the excessive use of the exclamation mark – and contains the following text:

“These funds are freely given to you for your Business, Economic and Educational Development, as well as the enhancement of the overall standard of living of the less previledged (sic) people in your region.Your Email was selected from your country's chambers of commerce and you have been confirmed as one of The lucky recipients of this year's donation programme. You are also entitled to the sum of EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS STERLING (£850,000.00) as charity donations/aid from the Oxfam GB (UK) International donation scheme.”

Sadly identity crooks have no problem with pretending to be from charities such as Oxfam, duping well meaning victims whilst increasing scepticism for legitimate charity work.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos warns that “of course, Oxfam is not responsible for the email and internet users need to learn that any unsolicited lottery win email arriving in their inbox is likely to be sent by a conman, not a charity worker. Replying to the email risks putting your financial well-being in danger.”

Whenever you receive an unsolicited email, even from a seemingly reputable source, you should always use caution when replying to the email, and think carefully about what personal information you include. The reality is that charities very rarely run lotteries, as their money is usually designated for more important projects, and even if they did the chances of you winning a lottery that you have never entered is extremely small.