Da Vinci Code spam requires leap of faith

Sophos is calling on the internet faithful to be wary of an unsolicited email campaign offering a free copy of the "The Da Vinci Code".

Through investigations into shadowy secret societies, Sophos uncovered the email which invites recipients to join a book club and claiming to offer a free copy of Dan Brown’s "The Da Vinci Code" as an incentive.

Sophos said the email calls on people to ‘Read the novel everyone's STILL talking about’ and to ‘Get the Da Vinci Code free, plus five more bestsellers for 99 cents’.

Graham Cluey, senior technology consultant for Sophos, said "people should be careful of unsolicited emails like this and remember the old adage that there's no such thing as a free lunch."

He said the Da Vinci Code email directed recipients to a website registered less than a month ago. The intention of the website was presently unclear, but it failed to supply a free book to surfers.

Cluey said there was already enough “wall-to-wall coverage about Dan Brown's controversial book on the TV, radio and cinema” without having to be subjected to it via email.

"If you receive an unsolicited commercial email don't try, don't buy and don't reply," he said.