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Join the Google+ circle. IBTimes

Google+ has suffered its first scam after hackers sent out a stream of emails masquerading as Google+ invites.

First caught by the internet security firm Sophos, the new Google+ scam targets the growing number of internet users clamoring to join the new social networking service. Targeted individuals are sent an email that looks like an invite to the Google+ service. When clicked the fake invite takes the user to the front page of a spam campaign designed to promote unlicensed pharmaceutical sellers.

The news first broke yesterday, with the attached Viagra selling website offering an "exclusive" range of 4 July deals. The Telegraph has since reported that the spam was carried out by a Canadian group of hackers called Partnerka.

Sophos went on to clarify that the site attached to the fake Google+ message didn't contained any other malicious malware or viruses:

"This group are trying to lure users to a pharmaceutical website by using Google+ invites. The scam is still ongoing and spreading around the world. The scam is quite amateur at this stage as the link doesn't even take the user to a Google-looking site from which the hackers could then grab users' personal details.

"It just takes you directly to the wrong site and most people won't fall for it -- but they should still be careful and check the identity of the person supposedly sending them the invite to join Google+."

Google+ is a new social networking made by the search giant to combat Facebook's monopoly on the market. It launched last week to a select few and has half-opened as an invite only service to the rest of the world -- though due to increased demand Google has at points shut down the invite option.

The service adds a host of new features including integrated group video chat and Google Circles -- a new feature that allows user's to curate their friends list arranging them into categories.