The attachments almost certainly contain harmful software (not necessarily virus), popularly called spywares and they get installed on your computer automatically once you download the attachment. These programs begin to work as resident spies on your computer and they harvest valuable personal and credit card details from both temporary and permanent files on your computer. For instance, when you use your credit card to shop online from your computer, the card details and password you key in could be stored temporarily on your computer, and if a spyware is resident on your computer, it would collect the card details and transmit or forward them to the bad guys behind the scene.
It is very important to note that these fraudsters are now using counterfeit corporate identities, logos, jargons, addresses and email addresses. They structure the content of the emails to look convincingly similar to the wording of emails from real organisations, institutions and businesses. Examples of entities whose identities have been used they way include the Tax Authorities, DHL, Fedex, Companies House, Banks, Insurance Companies, the Police, Local Authorities, Government Departments, the Courts, the Post Office and many more.
It is thus imperative that email users exercise the highest level of caution regarding opening junk mails. You could be easily and sincerely tempted to click on a download link as the wording of the mail are so craftily designed to incite your curiosity. Unfortunately, once they get installed on your computer, these evil programs can hang on for ever until an expert gets rid of them.
When it's in the junk mails folder, then it's most probably junk. Be careful what you click on in your junk emails if you are the type who can't just ignore junk mails.
A word to the wise is always enough! You don't want some reckless fraudster to be shopping on your credit card in XYZ town when you've never been there.
By E.A.B
