This email scam seems to catch loads out -- not sure why though !!!

Hi folks

I really can't understand how even seemingly quite intelligent people get caught by the simplest of obvious scams which have been out for years -- but this perennial favourite seems to be back with a vengeance -- it's so simple and obvious I'm amazed people are caught by this. Perhaps basic education in schools should have much more on this type of problem than all this "diversity" stuff -- which is in fact just a huge industry itself to over paid self serving public servants.

The scam works as follows -- You get an email from "somebody" who says -- please acknowlege receipt of XXXX where xxxx could be any type of highish priced item. If you didn't order this item please phone xxxx.

If you phone the number -- it's a fake number of course -- then you are open to all sorts of hacks. The best thing with these emails is NEVER to open them and just delete immediately.

Cheers
jimbo

Every time I watch one of those consumer programs advising on scams I wonder how anyone can still fall for them - or do those people not watch these types of show.

Sadly, there are many elderly people who get panicked by a suggestion that they have bought something expensive or that their broadband or phone line is going to be cancelled. If a scammer sends 1,000s of emails, he only needs a hit rate of 0.1% to make a lot of money.
My AV will flag many of these, as will Gmail.

Got a PayPal phishing email today. In the bin it goes

I was shopping for a high end camera lens and found a great offer, but it was on a clone of a well-known camera retailer here in the UK. It refused one credit card, so I tried a second. Neither worked because the site had been discovered and a stop put on transactions. I was lucky not to have lost hundreds of pounds. One thing I look for now on any retailer's website is a postal address and a telephone number. I'm much more savvy today.

It's really sad how these scammers prey on people, especially the elderly. I have one lady who sent every dime she had to get her "grandson out of jail." She hadn't seen or talked to her grandson since he was a child, but the scammer had enough information to convince her it was legit. And they're convincing.
I've called one of those numbers several times and played along with them. They're so good, they almost convince me.

I have another elderly mortician in a small town. He spent thousands on Walmart shopping cards and prepaid credit cards because they said they would lock his computer if he didn't. He believed them. And the kicker is, there's so little on his computer since all his records are on paper so it wouldn't matter if they did.
His wife and daughter knew he was slipping a little but realized just how much when they discovered he'd been paying them for months.
So it's not that everyone who falls for scams are dumb. If an elderly person is not 100% cognizant, the scammer can figure out the vulnerable ones if they interact with them.

glasskuter said:

the scammer can figure out the vulnerable ones if they interact with them.

Click to expand...

THAT is one of the best things you can do to "protect" yourself... not interact.
Enter... the good old Gibson Research Corporations, little program... "Shields Up".
This program... checks your Firewall.



At grc.com it's under Services > ShieldsUP!

You then click on... Proceed > All Service Ports



Your results, should look like this... (if you post a pic of your results... make sure to block out your IP address)







Short version...


If the bad guys don't know you exist... you're 95% of the way there.
Of course you still need to worry about... "what you click on".

kelper said:

I was shopping for a high end camera lens and found a great offer, but it was on a clone of a well-known camera retailer here in the UK. It refused one credit card, so I tried a second. Neither worked because the site had been discovered and a stop put on transactions. I was lucky not to have lost hundreds of pounds. One thing I look for now on any retailer's website is a postal address and a telephone number. I'm much more savvy today.

Click to expand...

When shopping with a new retailer I check out the Google Street View of the shop's address.

Steve C said:

When shopping with a new retailer I check out the Google Street View of the shop's address.

Click to expand...

Thay would not help as their whole website had been cloned. I rang the shop and the real one answered and told me of the scam.

Here's one for the Golden (twice)