Reminder: Protect Yourself Against Spoof E-mails
December 5th 2007 19:11
Fraudulent E-Mail Received Today
Here's the latest fraudulent "PayPal" e-mail I've received. This e-mail shows one of the most recent schemes used by scammers to steal our identities and our money!
In particular, note the following:
~The blank "to" line
~The generic greeting of "Dear PayPal Member," instead of PayPal's usual "Dear Jeanne Dininni"
~The "encrypted" link. This link is supposedly encrypted to protect me--but in reality, it's encrypted so I won't realize that the link doesn't take me to the real PayPal website!
~The sly psychological tactic used to get me to click the link:
Note:
If you haven't authorized this charge ,click the link below to dispute transaction
and get full refund
If you haven't authorized this charge ,click the link below to dispute transaction
and get full refund
~The scammer's clever attempt at gaining my confidence by including a description of the high-level encryption technique supposedly used to protect my confidential information
The Spoof Message
fromPayPal < dispute@paypal.com >*
reply-toservice@paypal.com,
to
dateDec 5, 2007 12:29 AM
subjectThanks for using your bank account!
hide details 12:29 AM (10 hours ago) Reply
Dear PayPal Member,
This email confirms that you have sent an eBay payment of $47.85 USD to
[undisclosed]@yahoo.com for an eBay item.
----------------------------- ------
Payment Details
----------------------------- ------
Amount: $47.85 USD
Transaction ID: 2LC956793J776333Y
Subject: Digimax 130
Note:
If you haven't authorized this charge ,click the link below to dispute transaction
and get full refund
Dispute transaction (Encrypted Link )
*SSL connection:
PayPal automatically encrypts your confidential information
in transit from your computer to ours using the Secure
Sockets Layer protocol (SSL) with an encryption key length
of 128-bits (the highest level commercially available)
----------------------------- ------
Item Information
----------------------------- ------
eBay User ID: scratchandgnaw2
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ------
Edward Harrell's UNCONFIRMED Address
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ------
Edward Harrell
211 David St.
Springtown, TX 76082
United States
Important Note: Edward Harrell has provided an Unconfirmed Address. If
you are planning on shipping items to Edward Harrell, please check the
Transaction Details page of this payment to find out whether you will
be covered by the PayPal Seller Protection Policy.
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ------
This payment was sent using your bank account.
By using your bank account to send money, you just:
- Paid easily and securely
- Sent money faster than writing and mailing paper checks
- Paid instantly -- your purchase won't show up on bills at the end of
the month.
Thanks for using your bank account!
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ------
Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team
PayPal Email ID PP118
Forewarned Is Forearmed!
Beware! These scammers are all around us, and they are continuously dreaming up new schemes to fool us into giving away our critical personal information! Don't fall for their lies--or into their clutches! Read every official-looking e-mail very carefully and critically. If anything seems odd, don't respond! If the e-mail claims to be from PayPal, forward it to spoof@paypal.com. Forward other e-mails to the company they claim to have come from. Protect yourself! Don't let e-mail fraud catch you unawares!
To your safety,
Jeanne
* NOTE: I had to modify the formatting of this e-mail address to prevent Orble's software from turning the (opening) "<" and "d" into a smiley face icon. (This is why I've placed a space after the [opening] "<". For balance, I've also placed a corresponding space before the [closing] ">".)
This is not a sponsored post.
Did you enjoy this post? Learn anything new? Have any stories to share? Please feel free to comment!
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Comment by Michele L.
Thanks for keeping these types of scams fresh in our mind so if we receive a similar email, we'll think twice before proceeding
Best wishes,
Michele
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
No problem! Hopefully it will help protect my readers from e-mail fraud! It's just too easy to click now and regret it later!
Thanks for stopping by!
Jeanne
Comment by James Rickard
unlucky_ fishermen.com
Angling Fish
Check this out...
I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THIS UNTIL RIGHT NOW--FISHING/PHISHING! Oh, well--keep up the good work!
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
So glad you were alert enough to refrain from clicking the oh-so-convenient link the "eBay" scammers provided for you! These guys have plenty of tricks up their sleeves to "encourage" you to give up your personal info! Bravo to you that you didn't go along with their scam!
Yes, indeed, phishing=fishing (for unsuspecting victims, that is). Glad you weren't one of them!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Jeanne