Sophos is warning of a new 'pump-n-dump' stock spam campaign which uses a PDF file to hoodwink potential investors.

The company has identified email messages being sent to German internet users, encouraging them to read an attached PDF file that urges them to invest in stock belonging to Talktech Media, a company listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange.

According to Sophos, internet users may not be aware that spammers are likely to have purchased Talktech Media stock at a low price, and are now trying to artificially inflate its price by encouraging others to follow suit. The spammers then plan to sell off their stock at a profit, potentially causing the price to plummet. Sophos experts note however that the authenticity of the PDF is called into question by its peculiar filename, 'sexyganjareport.pdf'.

Sophos estimates that pump-n-dump stock campaigns account for approximately 25 per cent of all spam, up from 0.8 per cent in January 2005.

Earlier this year the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) suspended trading in 35 companies as they were found to be commonly referenced in pump-and-dump stock email campaigns.

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www.sophos.com/security/blog/2007/06/236.html

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