An internet security company has warned people to be on their guard against an email scam using a "puppy" to dupe people into parting with their money.

Sophos' alert regards a scam email made to look like it's a communication from a Christian couple offering their puppy up for adoption.

The emails come from a husband and wife who claim to be on a Christian Mission in Africa. They say that their Yorkshire terrier dog is not coping well in the hot weather and asks for someone to give it a “good home.”

Part of the email, which includes contact phone numbers in Nigeria, reads: “I and my Husband have now decided to give her out on Adoptioto [sic] someone that can give her a good home and take very good care of her. She's a very loving puppy, she will be a good companion. If you know you can take very good care of her do send me a reply back through my email address below or you can give me a call so we can discuss on phone."

However, Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, has warned people to steer clear of the email, which follows a long list of scams originating in Nigeria. He said that once the senders were contacted that they would try and steal confidential information or try to get money.

"Most of us are probably familiar with the scam emails which claim you have inherited millions of dollars, or won the lottery, but this time the scammers are deliberately pulling on the heartstrings of animal lovers," he said.

According to Sophos the emails are known as 419 scams, named after the relevant section of the Nigerian penal code where many of them originated, and are unsolicited emails where the sender offers a large amount of money. Once a victim has been drawn in, requests are made from the fraudster for private information which may lead to requests for money, stolen identities, and financial theft.

Other examples of 419 email scams include a message claiming to come from a persecuted widow of the late Nigerian head of state, an associate of the massacred Nepalese royal family, and an African astronaut stranded on the Mir spacestation.