A new email scam is hoping to catch eager Web surfers with their pants down.
The bait for this malicious online campaign is an email with the subject line "My naked pic is attached," which includes a downright salacious message, the security firm Sophos reports.
The body of the email reads: "I love wild sex and looking for a discreet partner. I have my picture attached to this email. Take a look at it and get back if you like what you see."
Recipients who simply can’t resist the temptation and open the attached .zip file aren’t greeted with the promised nude picture. Instead, the attachment contains a rigged file that tricks users into believing their system has a host of security problems, and then attempts to lure the victim into purchasing fake antivirus software.
"Hopefully most people will think with their brains and not with their trousers, and not be tempted into opening the attachment," Graham Cluley, Sophos’ senior technology consultant wrote.
As the saying goes, sex sells, and online criminals know this as well as anyone. Every week there is a new batch of scams offering " sexy videos " or supposed celebrity sex tapes making the Internet rounds. To stay out of trouble, security experts warn users to be extremely wary about opening attached links, especially ones that come from unknown senders.