Pope John Paul pulls in spammers

A widely spammed email campaign claiming to offer a free collection of John Paul II books actually sends users to a completely different website.

When a link in the body of the email is clicked instead of reaching a website related to the late pontiff users are directed to a site offering "free money making secrets."

"Spammers are prepared to plumb the depths in their attempt to get internet users to buy their goods or services," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at anti-virus company Sophos. "The Pope's death has been mourned by millions around the world, yet for the spammers it's just another opportunity to sell their unwanted wares."

Pope John Paul II will be in the news for the next couple of weeks as Vatican cardinals deliberate about his successor, affording the emails, it would seem, a longer period fo success.

Yesterday SC reported that users are becoming less concerned about spam and now consider less a nuisance than a year ago. But some industry experts contradicted the research, claiming spam still has a massive impact on businesses.

www.sophos.com