Researchers trick 'CEO' email scammer into giving up identity

Businesses targeted in email scams don’t always have to play the victim. They can actually fight back.

Researchers at Dell SecureWorks have documented how they identified a suspected email scammer from Nigeria by essentially playing along with the scheme to fool the attacker into revealing his true whereabouts.

Anyone can use these tips, said Joe Stewart, director of malware research at SecureWorks. “We’re letting [the scammers] give us all the information about themselves,” he said.

The email scheme involved a fraudster impersonating a CEO in what’s called a business email spoofing attack. The goal is often to trick a victim into wiring funds to the scammer’s bank account.

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