Phishing

Daft_Monkey

Got 90% too. I'm not as daft as I look! :-)
The power seller one got me.

ti1980

I can't believe I got 100% right, I'm very proud of myself. I'm not from an IT background at all either! :beer:

Cool quiz. :T

kalaka

I think for security, banks should get together and decide:
1. Never to include links in emails
2. Include a warning in emails, something like: "No legitimate financial institution will include a link in an email. Never click a link in a bank's email. Always open a new browser window and enter the bank's web address".

thesealeyboy

Good find this Calley, i'll be passing this onto everyone I know.

Managed to get 90%, got the MSN one wrong!

Certainly well worth people spending 5 minutes doing this one just to see how clever these phishers try to be.

Mado

Thanks for a great link.
Feel a bit wiser although to be honest I never give any info y emails. Awlays go back to their site without using a link.

Budgeteer_2

I got 70% but I don't fully agree with the answers.

I would be shocked if my bank tried the Cross Country approach. Asking for banking passwords by email is totally irresponsible. So what if I had an account with them, phishers try all the banks and hope to get lucky.

The test says that the paypal email is information only, and doesn't ask you to do anything, but it does. It offers a link to check the transaction which will involve a username and password. The transaction ids can be faked, and details of an announcement can be known by anybody, including phishers.

For the ebay mail they note that it includes the persons name, but that could easily be got from the email address. john_smith can easily be turned into John Smith. Also if your email address came from a list that collected your name as well as email address, say for something you signed up to in the past or from an email you sent, then your name is known. Knowing your name is no sign that the email is any more personal.

I would be suspicious of every mail in this test, and the doubts I have would mean I would avoid using any of the links. This test has made me even more paranoid, and unless I am totally confident an email is for me I shan't be clicking on any part of it.

jellyhead

great test, thanks calley. i got 90% correct but i get loads of phishing emails so am not likely to respond. i know people who are naive enough to click on them though so i'll distribute this test to them, lol!

Marigold123

I got 100%

Nearly fell over in surprise, mind you, but quite pleased with myself. Obviously I'm not as green as I am cabbage-looking, as my mum would say.

Flyingvet

Great thread Calley. The message, that is perhaps not coming through clearly here, is this:-

NEVER CLICK A LINK IN AN EMAIL - Then you won't get stung.

Especially if the link is supposed to take you to any sort of financial site, you will already have this site bookmarked in your favourites. Use your favourites to open the site and check what the email alledges that way.

Mark the Flyingvet
p.s. I only got 70%, but since I won't have clicked on any of them - I count that as 100%!! :A

blossom30

I got 60% and I thought no one could pull the wool over my eyes....