The web site harrybooks.info tempted fans with the chance of purchasing an electronic version of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" before its official publication on 16th July. But the site was a hoax, set up to gather personal information and credit card details from would-be purchasers.
It follows a long line of similar scams, known as phishing attacks, which typically involve e-mail that purports to come from a major company – usually a financial services firm, e-tailer or other service provider. Victims follow links in the e-mail to "re-confirm" their security details – and these details are quickly exploited for profit.
"You should NEVER trust any Harry Potter e-books offered for download from the internet or on P2P/file-trading networks," warned Rowling on her official web site.
"Setting aside the fact that these books are illegal (there are no authorised HP e-books to date), they may infect your computer with viruses, leave you vulnerable to the dangers of hacking and/or credit card fraud and may also contain content that has nothing to do with Harry Potter, to say the least," she added.
The phishing web site has now been closed down.