Scammers pose as Diana trustees

Security companies are warning of a new version of the Nigerian 419 scam after the discovery of a rash of emails claiming to be from the Diana Memorial Foundation, which does not exist.

The email tells the recipient that they have been awarded a £2,598,000 grant and urges them to get in touch with the Foundation.

It uses the real name of someone within the legitimate Diana Memorial Fund as a contact, in an effort to boost the realism of the message.

"This email scam is abusing the memory of one of the world's most famous women in an attempt to steal money from the unwary. Everyone should be suspicious if they are unexpectedly told that they are about to receive a fortune," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

"Alarm bells should instantly ring when recipients see that they have to contact a supposedly legitimate organisation via a Yahoo webmail address, but some may find that the promise of riches makes them blind to the danger."

Such scams are typically a ploy to get hold of banking details and cheat the user out of money for transfer payments or tax payments.

In 2004 the police reported that Britons lost £12m in such scams, with the average loss being £98,000 per person. Similar letters have used Denis Thatcher and the 7 July bombings as hooks.

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