Sexy girl photos aim to defraud online gamers

World of Warcraft players are at risk of having their virtual assets stolen if they respond to offers of revealing photographs from 'sexy girls'.

Scammers are hoping to steal passwords in order to get their hands on virtual goods that can then be converted into real money.

Emails with the subject line 'Do you like to find a girlfriend like me?' contain a Trojan horse posing as a photograph of the supposed sender.

"Criminals are stealing virtual assets like armour, money and weapons to trade for hard cash in the real world," said Graham Cluley of security firm Sophos.

"Hackers love to exploit human weaknesses to break into users' computers, and images of a naked woman may prove hard for some to resist," he continued.

Indeed, the promise of naked pictures and videos is a commonly used tactic by criminals aiming to spread malware and defraud surfers.

Recently, cybercriminals used a sex tape featuring former beauty queen Carrie Prejean and pictures of Zombieland actress Emma Stone naked as bait in similar scams.

Ashley Greene, Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears are just some of the other celebrities whose names have been used by cybercriminals in the past.

10 celebrity scams to avoid


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