Clicking on links contained in the e-mail takes computer users to a Web site containing Halloween imagery. The Web site asks for a large amount of personal information including e-mail addresses, postal addresses, phone numbers and date of birth, before presenting a stream of questionnaires on subjects as diverse as student loans, gender and cigarette smoking.
"It's not immediately obvious whether this spam is being sent to commit identity theft or whether it's market research gone mad. If you visit the site and give it your personal information the chances are that you will be bombarded with unwanted junk e-mail until hell freezes over," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "There's no evidence to reassure people that they will really receive a gift card -- and as the people behind this Web site have already proven themselves prepared to send unsolicited spam, this is probably more of a trick than a treat."
