Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and (supposedly) final adventure in the Harry Potter novel series. As the grand finale of the series draws nearer, I’m sure all of the Harry Potter enthusiasts are waiting in anticipation to see what’s in store. The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows novel has been adapted and split into two full-length movies. The first part is scheduled for release on November 19, 2010, and we at Symantec have already started observing spam messages in relation to this event. In a related spam sample, spammers are trying to lure prey into their spell by promoting fake offers. According to the spammers, users must sign up “TODAY” and get all seven books in the Harry Potter series. As an incentive, the users will purportedly receive free tickets to see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows PART I” in the theater on November 19. A great lucrative offer that you just cannot afford to miss!
Below is a sample message from this campaign:
Subject: Get your HP 7 Tickets Now Subject: Movie tickets and book collection
When the Submit button is clicked, the user will be asked to provide his/her email address and other personal data and is then redirected to a “complementary” offer of a four days/three nights stay in a luxury resort: Last year we had observed spam targeting Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and discussed the attack in one of our blogs. The probable reason for the low spam volume in last year’s Harry Potter series attack was because of the spam hype surrounding the death of Michael Jackson. However, this time we have noticed an early spam wave and we’re expecting it to grow as the release date draws nearer. Symantec advises users to be wary of such unsolicited offers and don’t be lured by “the spell” of such email harvesters. Beware, or you might find yourself bewitched by The Deadly Hallows of Spam!