London bomb victim used by 419 email scammers

Computer users are being warned about a sick new 419 email scam claiming recipients are in line to receive millions of pounds from the estate of one of the victims of the London suicide bombings.

The 419 scammers have switched their attention from using the secret fortunes of dead African dictators to dupe people into handing over ID and bank account details. The latest email claims the recipient will receive £6.9m from the estate of Giles Hart, the 55-year-old BT engineer killed in the bomb blast on the bus in Tavistock Square on 7 July.

The email urges recipients to reply with their bank account details in order to have the money transferred into their accounts and contains links to online news reports about the bombing in an attempt to give the scam more credibility.

But the usual atrocious spelling and grammar mistakes in the email should alert most recipients to the fact it is a scam.

Part of the email reads: "It is just brought to my notice that our client Mr.GILES HART a British Telecom worker,55 years who was involved in the bumb [sic] blast which took place in North London who died during the terrorist attack which was a hearth [sic] breaking event."

Even so, the email is spreading quickly and antivirus firm Sophos is warning users not to respond to unsolicited emails from people they don't know requesting personal or bank account details.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said: "Mr Hart was a genuine victim of the terrible bombings in London. Sick criminals are deliberately using his name in an attempt to steal from others, without a thought for Mr Hart's grieving family. Everyone should be wary of emails which claim that an unexpected inheritance has appeared out of the blue, as it's a common trick used by fraudsters to steal money and bank account information."