Yesterday I got a very official-looking email telling me that my American Express card had been frozen due to a security issue. I was told to go to a website and give information. On one hand, I thought the email might be legitimate as I had just used the card to buy a couple of books at a book seller in South Africa who I have done business with for decades. On the other hand I as very suspicious and felt uncomfortable about the whole thing. I took the time to call American Express. There was no security hold on my account. The whole email had been a trick to try to get me to give up all the information on my American Express card so that thieves could drain it of money. My friends be alert at all time.
Beware-Internet Scammers Are Getting Very Good!!!!
By ohomen171 Follow Fri, 25 Jan 2013, 4:52am 475 views 11 comments
In Pacifica CA 94044
Watch (1) Share
Quote
Permalink Like (3) Dislike Viewing Comments 1-11 of 11 Last » See most liked comments
|
ohomen171 is moderator of this thread. |
Follow
Befriend
9 threads
400 comments
This is a great reminder of the following things.
1. Never click on a link in an email. Not from friends or companies. Friends rarely include links in email anymore as most of that has moved to Facebook. If you still use email with friends and don't have Facebook, I would still strongly encourage you not to click on any link sent by friends. Most links sent via friends are from compromised accounts.
2. The reason your above example is scary, is because it's plausible and looks like someone is trying to protect you. Always pay attention to the address and verify it online. Anything coming from American Express would be from americanexpress.com. There is no way it's from american.express.com or american1express.com.
3. Even if you can't tell, don't click an email link. Always navigate to the website mentioned via a new browser and login with your own credentials.
Follow
Befriend
228 threads
2,748 comments
You mean I won't be getting my percentage of the transfer from the email I received from the guy in Nigeria???
Damn......
Follow
Befriend (5)
48 threads
1,288 comments
Premium
CC / financial companies never correspond via email about this issues. The only thing you will get in your external email inbox is ATM transaction and shopping payment confirmations, but it is never interactive (you have to go through the phone for the other stuff).
Follow
Befriend
93 threads
431 comments
Kent, WA
John Bailo's website
Speaking of scams...i've been getting these Requests to Friend in Facebook which isn't a bad thing since they are usually women. However, I've noticed a pattern. Female "Friend" appears making request. I check out page and nothing is there. Ok, maybe a new user. Then after a minute the Chat window pops up. Maybe because I'm old, but I never use Chat in Facebook...I mainly read the posts. So, these chats start and it's always "tell me all about yourself". Meanwhile they have zero information in their profile.
I've read about "Catfishing" where someone pretends to be someone to trip someone up (T'eo style). Or else maybe they are identity thieves or Craigslist prostitutes or I don't know what. Hey, maybe they are just pretty girls who want to hit on a middle aged man for some free fun and games?? (Naaaaaahhhhhh!!!)
Follow
Befriend (28)
169 threads
4,151 comments
Premium
Never be pulled in any direction by any unsolicited communications, whether it be by email, SMS, telephone, fax or even postage. (Yes, fraudsters are using the post again, likely using scammy marketing lists that are designed for them by 'marketing' companies that provide postal info with their databases.)
Delete, hang-up, crumple and toss immediately. If you have any interest in checking the validity of a communication, pick up your last few monthly statements and use the numbers provided there and place a call inbound to them. They'll have your records and will be able to provide advice. If the information you received was bogus, and it always is, you'll help them by reporting it.
Follow
Befriend (3)
5 threads
172 comments
File you tax returns asap. This will be another banner year.
Follow
Befriend
10 threads
763 comments
Dublin, CA
This problem will be solved quickly if we use our predator drones to surgically remove certain motherfuckers in eastern europe.
Follow
Befriend (12)
140 threads
1,355 comments
Emeryville, CA
Further, you should not divulge any information whether on email or even the phone. You should only give out information if you are the one that originated the dialogue.
Another risk is from those who know you. They can call or write Mom, Dad, neighbors, etc and ask things about you and use that info to do other things. You might not even have a chance to thwart them is what I'm sayin'.
Follow
Befriend (16)
760 threads
7,667 comments
Boca Raton, FL
Premium
The fact that such scammers aren't caught and prosecuted proves that all the human and civil rights violations we put up with to make us "more secure" aren't doing shit to increase security.
It would be trivial for the police to go through the motions a victim of a scam would go through and trace down the scammers if all this Big Brother bullshit did one damn thing to protect us from "bad guys". Think about that the next time the state says your teenage daughter needs to be strip searched to protect us from terrorists. They can't even get con artists stealing credit.
Follow
Befriend (1)
246 threads
4,656 comments
I should make an email filter that converts spam into fan mail.
Replace things like "Enlarge your Johnson with just this one pill"
with "Hey man your IQ test results are in, and you're awesome!"
or "Every time I'm mad I think of you".
Follow
Befriend (54)
5,181 threads
6,153 comments
46 male
Menlo Park, CA
Premium
It would be a lot of fun to scam the scammers. There is already this site:
http://www.419eater.com/
But it would be even more fun to actually use spam for something productive. Back when I got a lot of physical junk mail I would dream of signing up for more of it and using it to heat the house. Fuel delivered to my mailbox, every day, free!