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Cyren Security Blog

The Cyren Security Blog is where Cyren engineers and thought leaders provide insights, research and analysis on a range of current cybersecurity topics.

Updated: Aisha Gaddafi plea for he..

Scammers have been quick to capitalize on the death of Muammar Gaddafi by sending out emails from Ayesha Gaddafi. Ayesha (also spelled Aisha) is the daughter of Muammar Gaddafi who has reportedly fled to Algeria. The creators of the email seem to have made an error by including the message text in the subject line, resulting in a truncated cry for help from the daughter of the former head of state.

The ability to read the entire subject line is dependent on the mail reader used:

The full text (copied from Live Mail) reads:

My Name IS Ayesha Gaddafi’s,34 Years Old,I am writing this mail with tears and sorrow from my heart asking for your help at this time,I got your contact while searching for a trustworthy someone who will understand my present condition and come to my rescue here in Algeria .I have passed through pains and sorrowful momentsince the death of my father.after the death of my father all our Foreigner account and local account has being blocked and we are not allow to make transfer or receive money transfer from othercountries.just yesterday one of my account advisers one of the bank London called me and told me that the London Government is treating to confiscate some of my funds account in there bank if i don’t transfer the money from the bank to other country .please try and help transfer the sum of Fourteen Millions Two Hundred Fifty Eight Thousand United States Dollars to your country and keep it in a private account.i am willing to give you %35 of the total funds and keep %65 for me.keep this mail confidential.

The chopped-off subject (when viewed in Outlook) reads:

My Name IS Ayesha Gaddafi’s,34 Years Old,I am writing this mail with tears and sorrow from my heart asking for your help at this time,I got your contact while searching for a trustworthy someone who will understand my present condition and come to my resc

The email shows standard signs of 419 (advance fee) fraud.

Update: 1 Nov 2011

A further example of post-Gaddafi-death 419 email is shown below.

Email text:

I apologize if this message and its medium does not meet your moral values but it?? the urgency and desperate situation of it which requires me to send this to you.

I am one of Gaddafi’s loyalist,before his death,he left the sum of $70million usd and Gold worth Millions of Dollars in My care,right now all his loyalists are been killed,I was Lucky to escape.

I was able to move the funds to a neighboring country .

I offer you 25 percent if we successfully get the consignment across to you.

I will be giving you more information if you are interested in the deal.

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