I just received an incredibly dangerous looking spam message. Normally, I’d save this for a Friday installment, but this one is especially sneaky.

From: crist.and@qualityacademy.info
Date: Tuesday, May 04, 2010 3:40 AM
To: [correct address]
Subject: Re: Job Interview

Dear Employee,

Could I get an update on your resume? Your cooperation will be appreciated in this matter.
The resume we have on file for you is http://www.careerbuilder.com/ShareInfo/Resume.aspx?DID=J93JSN0382.

Best regards,
Cristian Anderson

The link is disguised; it actually takes you to http://www.horsetailtrails.com/resume.exe (don’t you even think about visiting this).

See that “.exe” at the end? That’s an executable file, and that’s bad news. If you visit the link, your computer will automatically download and run whatever malicious software is hidden under the name “resume.exe.”

This message just goes to show how tricky these crooks are. How many people are using CareerBuilder in an attempt to find a job right now? To them, a message like this might look completely harmless. Heck, it would look positively helpful—somebody’s interested; that’s what you want!

Always use extreme caution when it comes to links in emails, and never click on anything that ends in “.exe” unless you know exactly what software you’re installing on your computer, and only then if you meant to do so.