Internet frauds are sending emails - claiming to be from a senior army officer - urging gullible people to receive large sums of money into their bank accounts, for a percentage of the total.

Apparently from the CO of 1 Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment serving in Iraq - the correspondence claims he needs to move $15m belonging to people killed in attacks.

This form of deception is known as a '419 type' e-mail fraud, and in this case offers a 30% share of the cash if the recipient helps keep the money.

However, like most offers that are too good to be true, it is not legitimate.

The RIR has been alerted to the scam and says that anyone who gets such an e-mail should delete it.

It says their CO is incorrectly named and Iraqi insurgents have not attacked Clive Barracks, which is in Shropshire.

At the moment, 1 Battalion, Royal Irish is based at Tern Hill, where it is preparing for deployment to Helmand province in Afghanistan.

It is the first time the entire RIR first battalion has been deployed to the war-torn region.

The 600-strong battle group will also include part-time Territorial Army soldiers from the second battalion of the regiment.

(BMcC/KMcA)