New Delhi: "Madonna caught swine flu" runs the subject line of e-mails received by many of the internet users who have been targetted by spammers and crooks trying to cash in on the global flu threat.
Several users have said their inbox has been assaulted with torrents of e-mails promising swine flu news taking reference of celebrities but in reality the spams delivered only malware, dubious potency drugs or other junk adverts.
"Since the swine flu has hit the headlines, my inbox has been flooded with mails claiming information on swine flu and a potential cure for the same," says Amit, a techie.
"And when you click on the link you are directed to websites selling irrelevant medications," he adds.
Leading internet security experts of McAfee and Symantec also revealed a surge in spam campaigns riding on the flu threat, which instead of delivering useful information distribute viruses and offer bogus pills that purportedly eradicate the flu.
"In the past, Symantec has pointed out that spammers have the tendency to sensationalise current events to launch their attacks. Events like Mumbai terror attacks, China earthquake all have been leveraged by spammers," says Shantanu Ghosh, VP of India Product Operations, Symantec.