Beware of an email claiming to be from Royal Mail containing malware that infects your computer.
The cybercriminals who have distributed the attack are playing on your curiosity and hoping that you will be tempted to open the attached ZIP file in the mistaken belief that a parcel is on its way to you.
If you open the attached ZIP file your computer will be infected by the Trojan horse.
A typical email reads:
Royal Mail Group Shipment Advisory
The following 1 piece(s) have been sent via Royal Mail on Mon, 21 Aug 2012 15:43:14 +0530, REF# 5646597645
SHIPMENT CONTENTS: Documents
SHIPPER REFERENCE: PLEASE REFER TO ATTACHED FILE
ADDITIONAL MESSAGE FROM SHIPPER: PLEASE REFER TO ATTACHED FILE
Royal Mail Group Ltd 2012. All rights reserved
The emails are not connected with the real Royal Mail in anyway, despite them appearing to arrive from noreply@royalmail.com and containing the Royal Mail's logo.
If you receive this email just delete it. Do not open the attachment or you could run the risk of having your computer infected with the malware.
Read more about the email on the Sophos website.
Please note: Action Fraud is not responsible for the content on external websites.
To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.
Protect yourself against online threats
How to remove a computer virus?
Microsoft Safety Scanner - clean and repair an infected PC
Microsoft free antivirus software