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Hackers exploit Western Union in new attack

Internet users have been warned to watch out for a malicious attack posing as correspondence from Western Union, which is capable of compromising their internet security.

An online security expert has warned that the messages, bearing the subject line 'Western Union Transfer MTCN', come laden with a message informing the recipient that money they sent in March has not reached its destination.

The message then goes on to instruct recipients to open an attached invoice that should be printed out and filled should they want to reclaim the funds from the nearest Western Union branch.

"Of course, opening the attached file wouldn't be the smartest move you've ever made in life as it contains a malicious trojan horse," warned Graham Cluley of security vendor Sophos.

"Interestingly, the malicious emails append some text to the bottom of each message to make it appear as though your mail gateway has scanned the message and determined it not to be spam," he explained.

Consumers are advised not to respond to such unsolicited messages and to ensure they have proper anti-virus software to ward off trojans and other online threats.

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