Phishing scams

OK, so we've all been notified of the Ebay, PayPal type scams.

I got one for my actual bank today. Man, it looked good. If you clicked on the link (which was NOT to my bank's website) it was identitcal to the bank's online banking (which is what they said would expire if not renewed, which they've never required before). The grammar was good, spelling correct, terminology was specific, i.e. they named the actual online banking service. I didn't fall for it, and reported it to my bank. The link address wasn't going to my bank's website, and they don't require any renewal for online banking. Not to mention they are in the process of being bought out so their website is going to be shut down the beginning of December to switch to the buyer's site - so why would they require renewal? LOL

Just thought I would pass this on. These phishers are getting better and better, and they aren't the idiots of days past. They aren't giving the telltale signs that they used to. Be careful - these emails are tricky!

thanks for the heads-up.

if you get an email NOT addressed to you, that's your first sign. "Dear XXXX Bank customer" is NOT addressed to you. "Dear Paula W." IS addressed to you. (always check the email address they sent the email to: i got one from citi.com 2 days ago addressed to xxxxxxxx3 @ yahoo.com, when my email address is really xxxxxxxx4 @ yahoo.com. how it got to me, i have no idea.)

also, if you hover your mouse anywhere over the email and it turns to a pointy finger, that's bad. (it should turn to a finger only when you hover over the link.)

always open a separate browser window and manually type in the website that you think has made an attempt to contact you....ebay, paypal, your bank, whatever. if they need you to update information, there's normally a notice on the front page, or in a message box after you sign in.

just some tips for safe emailing. be careful out there.

Wow, Heidi. I always feel badly when I get those because I know there are people who will fall for it.

I recently got very convincing phishes claiming to be from Capital One, with whom I do business, eBay, and PayPal. I always send them along to the spoof address that the real site gives.

I've never had the nerve to actually click the link, though. You're brave, Heidi.

That is very scary...they are getting better at their rotten scams.
Thanks for the warning.

Originally Posted by Deb25

Wow, Heidi. I always feel badly when I get those because I know there are people who will fall for it.

I recently got very convincing phishes claiming to be from Capital One, with whom I do business, eBay, and PayPal. I always send them along to the spoof address that the real site gives.

I've never had the nerve to actually click the link, though. You're brave, Heidi.

Click to expand...

I was curious to see how good they made the site, since I'm very familiar with my bank's website. It really was scary how good of a replica it was. There were some inconsistencies, but I noticed them because I knew it was a scam. Someone who thought it was legit wouldn't have been clued in by the small inconsistenties on the site. They didn't ask for account numbers, debit card numbers or anything like that, at least not on the main page. Obviously I didn't enter my username and password, which is all they asked for in the same manner as my bank's site.

A few days ago, I recieved an e-mail that claimed to be from Paypal. It said I needed to update my credit card information or my account would be suspended. I knew it was a phishing scam because I knew my credit card wasn't expired. I also pointed my mouse cursor over the link in the message and it was definitely NOT Paypal! I surely hope people don't fall for stuff like that.

Luckily I've never seen one for a bank here in NZ! I must warn Nana about these.

The weekly tech column, in my local paper, cover this issue yeaterday. The columnist had the following suggestion:

Click the link, in the e-mail. As long as you don't enter any info, you are safe. Write down the EXACT Web address.

Next, go to www.register.com and select "WHOIS lookup" under the domain tab. Enter the name of the website in the search window and perform the search.

You should see who owns the website and get a physical address and phone number. Authorities can use this info to help shut down the site.

Forward all phishing e-mails to the authorities, to keep others from being defrauded.

We just heard about a Visa Mastercard scam going on were people will call claiming to be from there and sound real good...apparently they already have your cc#, they eventually ask you for the pin on the back. They do it under the suspicious activity guize.

Just tonight we got a scam sounding call from someone from Visa and Mastercard and when DH made one comment he got hung up on...

Having just had 2 credit cards stolen from my wallet a month ago, I will tell you that it's a pain in the butt to follow up on.

When I worked I had a Citigroup corporate credit card. I got emails all the time about "my account". One thing working for such a large company as I did-they had a dedicated email address to forward all these types of emails to for further investigation.
But earlier this yr when DSW's database was hacked my cc info was "stolen". No use of the numbers as my bank called to cancel and replace the credt card. They saw alot of unusual activity-but it was the tickets and stuff for my parents cruise!!
In fact I think financial instituations are watching cc activity more closely-I had called my bank about my cc and had mentioned last month that I was going t Vegas and they put a note on my acct.