According to The Register gamers who are desperate to get hold of the latest entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and let's face it that has to be just about every hardcore gamer who did not get a copy today, are the latest target of drive-by spyware scammers. Spam email is being distributed which promises the chance of winning not only a copy of GTA IV, but also a brand spanking new PlayStation 3 to play it on.
There is, of course, no such competition and no such prize. There is, however, a whole bunch of spyware included that can grab your valuable data once your PC is compromised by clicking on the links in the spam.
This kind of scam is highly opportunistic and shows just how quickly the malware merchants can react to news such as how GTA has been sold out, with even some players who pre-ordered the game being left empty handed as stocks got oversold. The Register reports that spam filtering outfit ClearMyMail claims "more than half of the junk mail being blocked by its service" on Tuesday 29th April at any rate "is Grand Theft Auto IV-related" and "the vast majority of the junk mail messages offer the opportunity to win a PS3 complete with the game."
