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Don't be caught - Phishing Discussion

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  • antonios_2
    antonios_2 Posts: 24 Forumite
    FYI : This website offers a test to check whether your browser is vulnerable to a phishing flaw

    http://secunia.com/Internet_Explorer_Address_Bar_Spoofing_Vulnerability_Test/

    Guess what !!! INTERNET EXPLORER MAY DISPLAY A LEGITIMATE ADDRESS WHILE YOU ARE VIEWING A WEBPAGE FROM A BOGUS WEBSITE

    IE is totally vulnerable to this flaw!
    I tested the same page with FIREFOX and everyhting was OK!!
    Microsoft is still working on a patch....

    You have been warned :money:
    Cheers! :beer:
    Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.
    Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) :beer:
  • Mine came as a pop up..not as an email....looking very much like an AOL security check, and i almost filled it in, until i read it twice and noticed it asked for my pin number for my debit card.It was very convincing.
    The response and support from AOL was excellent.
  • mazzie_j
    mazzie_j Posts: 22 Forumite
    I have recieved an email yesterday telling me that a Mr Williams needed a person overseas to be a next of kin (as he apparently worked in a bank & saw details of a stranded account with 36 millions pounds in !) & would give me 25% in exchange for my details to be passed to him & for me to fill in some apparent forms stating i'll except the money. I did for a moment of weekness reply my name & there was a reply streight away asking me for my name, DOB, phone number, address & bank details. I rang my hubby who went ape a bit & said it's a money laundering scam, I have put the emails as junk >>>> please be warned out there, these scams get worse. They try to word things so well .... but sometimes there are weird slip ups, like ...

    How did they get my e-mail address ?!!!!
    36 Million in a lost account somewhere - yeah right !!!
    & why on earth would they be sending out e-mails to finds someone to claim all that dosh surely their own family, firends or mates would do ?!!!!
  • madauri
    madauri Posts: 636 Forumite
    In addition to the cons sending messages about them looking for someone who administers their fortune; a wonderfully lucrative job from home; notifications from banks I didn't even know existed saying they're about to cancel my account; and notes urging me to answer asap to receive my millionaire prize from some international lottery or another (it usually being one located in the Netherlands that's been recognised as a scam for a long time now), I've begun to receive prize notifications from the British Lottery.
    It's amazing how easy it is to win without a ticket, without giving your data and without them knowing you even exist :rolleyes:
    Beware of any message that is offering you something for free, is my advice. Make sure you know where the information comes from and check with some of the many websites that exist now evidencing scams and false stories. It's worth the minutes it takes to do so.
    'They can tak' oour lives but they cannae tak' oour troousers!'
    The Nac Mac Feegle
  • KC_JW
    KC_JW Posts: 1 Newbie
    I really recommend https://www.siteadvisor.com (who have just been bought by McAfee). It's a free IE or Firefox plugin that rates websites as red, yellow or green (or grey for untested) based on how safe they are.

    This helps identify phising emails, but only after you've clicked the link to the website. This can be tricky as some websites will also try to download software to your PC as well (such as the key loggers discussed in a previous post) when you visit them, so even if you don't enter any details it could still "attack" your computer.

    I've set up a free website http://www.knowledgecentral.co.uk in the hope of educating my friends and family into what they need to do to protect themselves. 99% of the software mentioned is available out there for free, at least in a cut-down form. Any constructive feedback via the site would be gratefully received.
  • greentomato
    greentomato Posts: 130 Forumite
    I got a dodgy email purporting to be from Paypal, stating that they needed to do some extra checks as there had been some 'unusual activity' on my account. I didn't realise that it was a scam at first as it looked very genuine and the email address was 'services@paypal' rather than 'service@paypal' (an extra s).

    Very stupidly I clicked on the link in the email (my finger was 2 seconds behind my brain - as soon as I'd done it I realised I shouldn't have!) and my virus scan immediately picked up a virus. I sent the email to Paypal and they confirmed it was a scam.

    The thing that worries me is that I had recently bought an item on Ebay through paypal - which is why I clicked on the link as I thought there might be a problem with my purchase. So the phishers have not only got my email address but know that I've been using Paypal etc. I doubt that its just a coincidence. It makes me wonder about paypal/ebay security systems.

    I'm now updating my virus software daily as Paypal say I'll probably be targeted again!!
  • irnbru_2
    irnbru_2 Posts: 1,603 Forumite
    So the phishers have not only got my email address but know that I've been using Paypal etc.

    You've got one email address.
    You've confirmed that address is active.
    Expect more phishing emails.
    I doubt that its just a coincidence.

    It is. You are amongst the millions to receive them.
  • ManAtHome
    ManAtHome Posts: 8,512 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Yes - I've never used ebay or paypal and I still get the "account suspended" emails...

    Also noticed recently a heap of 'bounced' emails normally from mailer-daemon, bounce, or postmaster @ various domains. You can get these when somebody has spoofed your email domain (the bit after the @), not necessarily your full address to send to an unknown address (easy enough to do), so BE CAREFUL OF ANY "UN-DELIVERABLE EMAIL" mails, highly likely to contain phishing attempts or a virus.
  • egarobar
    egarobar Posts: 57 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
    Your phishing warning would be wise to mention eBay and PayPal. I get phishing e-mails (supposedly) "from" both these, quite frequently.
  • trisontana
    trisontana Posts: 9,472 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I Have just received this phishing email, talk about bare-faced cheek! By the way, I haven't even got a Natwest bank account.

    "Dear Customer!
    March and April of the 2006 have been the months of extensive fraudulent activity for Natwest Bank. Over and over confidential personal data of our customers has become of interest to scammers and thieves. Our customers have made requests to protect them from funds losses off their bank accounts.
    This is why Natwest Bank declares May to be the scam struggle month. All our customers will have to verify their bank accounts using our innovated security system. Natwest Bank introduced new IT methods of increasing security level for all the bank account holders. The system has been checked by leading electronic payment specialists and major independent experts have claimed the system to be well ahead of the latest scammer technologies. Due to the danger of the following date usage by scammers, we do not post this data in any open source. At the moment the system is performing tests and different account holders have been chosen by chance to complete the testing.
    The bank has not introduced the system so far to the mass media and therefore only the software specialists and participating bank customers are aware that the new security system is ready to lower the risk of scammer attacks and any other fraudulent activity. So far we can only declare that the new security system is based on the basis of every authorization individualization using extra data about the account holder to prevent scammers from having any chances of using the account holder's personal data.
    Along with other Natwest Bank customers You have been chosen to complete the final testing of the innovated security system. We offer You to follow the link below that You usually use to login (deleted) , where the system will request for some additional data after the filling out the fields with standard bank account data. To protect the personal data of our customers, new encrypting system has been introduced by the Natwest bank. Even if the scammers do get the access to the data bases, nobody will have Your encrypted personal data available.
    Please note that after the completion of the testing, You still must change Your security system and it is obligatory to fill out a special form. Therefore, for Your own security, we advise You to begin using the new security system right now.
    The bank has not introduced the system so far to the mass media and therefore only the software specialists and participating bank customers are aware that the new security system is ready to lower the risk of scammer attacks and any other fraudulent activity. So far we can only declare that the new security system is based on the basis of every authorization individualization using extra data about the account holder to prevent scammers from having any chances of using the account holder's personal data.

    Your sincerely, NatWest Bank Fraud and Security Department."
    What part of "A whop bop-a-lu a whop bam boo" don't you understand?
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