A spam message that claims origin from billionaire Saudi Prince Al-Waleed is currently making the rounds in the Middle East and Africa region according to security firm Trend Micro. As reported on ITP.net, the message is “seeking new business ventures” and an excerpt of the message reads as follows:

"In line with the recent international foray for profitable investment having across the globe, I seek this medium to increase my global and domestic alliances via various services Including Mortgage Banking, Micro Financing, Real Estate Business and a host of other profitable ventures.

If you think you are good in any of the mentioned business sector. Kindly contact me for possible business co-operation."

Within the Middle East – Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates suffer from the highest level of spam.

And while public figures have long been used as “bait” in spam campaigns, what’s concerning here is the evolution of what these spam messages look like.

In the case of this note, the message came from a yahoo address bearing Al-Waeed’s name and accurate contact details for his company Kingdom Holding Co.  These characteristics, paired with a target audience that may lack exposure to these types of threats makes for a dangerous combination.

When spam first emerged many thought that awareness alone would be enough to stifle its growth, but as spammers continue to profit from attacks like the one above they show no sign of slowing – and attacks are only growing in sophistication.