A phisher who can both spell and construct simple grammatical sentences is the biggest threat yet to online trading, according to Internet security experts. The phisher, who has already tricked thousands of unsuspecting computer users into parting with millions of pounds, is believed to have a GCSE qualification and have access to a dictionary and a textbook of Basic English grammar and punctuation.
‘It’s very worrying,’ said Gerald Norton, an expert on spammers and phishers. ‘This guy can spell words like ‘bank’, ‘security’ and ‘password.’ He can also construct a correct sentence from ‘link’ ‘to’ ‘confirm’ ‘your’ ‘password’ ‘click’ ‘on’ and ‘the’. So far, punters have always been able to recognize phishers by their appalling language skills.’
George Watson, 56, said he was completely taken in by the phisher, who has been dubbed ‘Shakespeare’ by bloggers. ‘You see, when I got this email I noticed that all the words were spelled correctly and the sentences were OK. So, I thought it was from my bank. If these phishers and spammers are learning to spell and write correct English, we’re in deep trouble. I have always relied on the fact that they can’t spell for toffee.’
But a successful phisher claimed the phishing community was unfazed by Shakespeare. ‘Most of our target audience can’t spell for toffee either, so they won’t notice the difference. If a monkey took up phishing, it would make a million. No problem, period.’