Beware - Phony PayPal Email

[SD51]

Since we are in the midst of our first major snow storm and the detector is in the closet for the winter, thought I'd share a phony PayPal email I just got this AM for everyone. It stated that there was a suspicious transaction on my account.

These useless idiots can even write this up using correct English;

Here's the message...


Your account just make suspicious transaction,, We've temporary limited your account due to this suspicious activity until the issue is resolved.


They wanted me to open my account, yah right! Thought everyone could use a good laugh!

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[kcm]

Remember folks, ANY TIME you get such an email from any place/business/person/ghost/entity, never, never NEVER open any links from the email!! They cannot see what you're doing on your screen unless you have malware on your PC that logs keystrokes or, worse yet, let's them see your screen in real time. First, make sure there's no maleware on your PC. Malewarebytes (https://www.malwarebytes.com/) is available for free, but needs to be run manually - don't expect it to protect you in real time. Second, if you wanted to check on your account, type in the URL for the site manually. If you click on a link, you're just making a hacker's job super, super simple!!

Have a safe and happy Christmas!

 

[G.I.B.]

Does anybody NOT get these?

 

[vpnavy]

Shame on all of them. I sincerely hope their is a special place in HEL*&^^% for all of them. Pulled this off of PayPal WebSite: Recognize fraudulent emails and websites......

 

[kcm]

Does anybody NOT get these?

ME!! ME!! Ohhhh, ME, ME, ME!!

I can't remember the last time I got one.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

I rarely get any phony Paypal emails, but I get at least 5 bogus emails a day that claim to be from Facebook. Two obvious things wrong with them, though. The subject line in the email always has Chinese characters in it and I closed my Facebook account two years ago! Hard to get me to click on a "Facebook" link when I don't even have an account. Morons!

What really bugs me about these guys is they know my first and last name and my date of birth! I do not reveal my date of birth to many websites, so one of the "secure" websites I use must have been hacked. Thanks, guys!

 

[kcm]

I rarely get any phony Paypal emails, but I get at least 5 bogus emails a day that claim to be from Facebook. Two obvious things wrong with them, though. The subject line in the email always has Chinese characters in it and I closed my Facebook account two years ago! Hard to get me to click on a "Facebook" link when I don't even have an account. Morons!

What really bugs me about these guys is they know my first and last name and my date of birth! I do not reveal my date of birth to many websites, so one of the "secure" websites I use must have been hacked. Thanks, guys!

Not necessarily. Sadly, many companies advertise that they have safe and secure sites, and that part may be true. However, many companies will sell, trade or even GIVE info away, especially to other businesses that they are in cahoots with. Like, "Because you like "us" or "our products", we gave your information to this other company as you may like them or their products as well" It's sneaky, dirty, underhanded, flat-out-WRONG and, sadly, true.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

kcm, wow that really stinks! Never knew that!

 

[kcm]

Legit companies will give you the option up front as to whether or not you wish to be included in the info-giveaway (or sell-off, as the case may be). Some less-than-scrupulous companies simply give you a disclaimer stating that they may, at times, give some of your info to such-and-such. But the worst ones are those that give or, most likely SELL (at a profit to THEM; not YOU) your info without you ever knowing.

Magazine subscriptions are some of THE worst!! However, credit card companies are in on this game also. Even some banks!! Fortunately, federal law prohibits banks and credit card companies from giving out personal info like birth date and such. But for the worst of the companies, they have no shame and will sell anything to make a buck!

It's all about survival. Some companies succeed easily, but most struggle, at least at times. You may even have a good company with good and honest upper management, but they have some guy down in a lower office who is using such means to bring more profit to the company. So in my eyes, these so-called honest and upstanding upper management are just as bad when they close their eyes to what's happening. They put blinders on and only look at the good parts - any profits (whether real or perceived). It's a zoo out there!!

 

[Xraywolf]

Anytime I get anything that says "Click here to restore your account", I label it as junk and delete it.
Before doing so, I'll usually hover my mouse over the link, and what shows in the bottom is gibberish leading to a phishing site. In fact my AV usually catches these and the only thing I see is "This message has been replaced by Vipre AV, it is a known phishing link" and there is no option to click anything if I wanted to.

Between software and savvy users, they are getting fewer and fewer hits, so they try to make up for it with mass mailings.

 

[Keith Jackson]

I rarely get any phony Paypal emails, but I get at least 5 bogus emails a day that claim to be from Facebook. Two obvious things wrong with them, though. The subject line in the email always has Chinese characters in it and I closed my Facebook account two years ago! Hard to get me to click on a "Facebook" link when I don't even have an account. Morons!

I get the same emails over and over telling me that I have a new friend request and some notifications on my facebook page. Of course they call me KeithA and I don't have a facebook account. Dead giveaway. Same thing when I get notifications about my Citibank account. Well, since I don't have one, I am pretty sure that there aren't any problems with it.

 

[Chadeaux]

Not necessarily. Sadly, many companies advertise that they have safe and secure sites, and that part may be true. However, many companies will sell, trade or even GIVE info away, especially to other businesses that they are in cahoots with. Like, "Because you like "us" or "our products", we gave your information to this other company as you may like them or their products as well" It's sneaky, dirty, underhanded, flat-out-WRONG and, sadly, true.

Very true, but there is still another possibility.

I'm a skiptracer ... that means I find deadbeats for my employer who have taken our merchandise and run off without paying.

Let's just say you had a "yahoo" email account back in, oh, 2013 when they were hacked. So, Joe Hacker grabs a bunch of email addresses off Yahoo's server. Most of those come with your real name, a second email that you gave Yahoo in order to "make your account more secure". You also likely gave them a phone number because they assured you they would use it to keep your account more secure (hmmmm.... does adding links to a chain makes it stronger?).

Well, I can run your name through certain databases and likely get your email address, your age (sometimes your DOB), your physical address, and much more.

I can take the phone number associated with your account and find our even more about you.

As a spammer, Joe Hacker can use all of this information to create an email that seems to be directed at you (because it is) but isn't really from Amazon/PayPal/Ebay/Mastercard/General Jumufu from Nigeria. The email will (if well done) fool most folks with links that seem to bring you to the legitimate site.

It is infinitely safer to create a single encrypted file on your computer using a secure password that's easy for you to remember than it is to have all of these "security measures" from an email provider or anyone else.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Why would you want to add more and more links?

Keep everything safe locally, even if you have to write it down in a notebook. In that case, use a simple cipher because most kids can't even read cursive anymore let alone figure a cipher.

Below is an example of the intelligence level of most of the HS grads I've met lately. What cipher could he break?

 

[Chadeaux]

Anytime I get anything that says "Click here to restore your account", I label it as junk and delete it.
Before doing so, I'll usually hover my mouse over the link, and what shows in the bottom is gibberish leading to a phishing site. In fact my AV usually catches these and the only thing I see is "This message has been replaced by Vipre AV, it is a known phishing link" and there is no option to click anything if I wanted to.

Between software and savvy users, they are getting fewer and fewer hits, so they try to make up for it with mass mailings.

Yes, Vipre rocks!!!

 

[kcm]

Great post Chadeaux!!

My biggest gripe is when I can't proceed with what I want to do without being forced to hand over MORE information! I don't give phone numbers to anyone (except when I signed up here), and I've never given a second email address. I happen to have 3 email addresses, but each one is for a different purpose. One is for forum and related use, one is for general use when dealing with businesses and associates, etc, and one is for amazon, ebay, etc.

I will also change up things a bit when I have a magazine subscription or some other info that has to be input. That way, when I get "junk mail", I can trace the source....if I even care to. But our phone doesn't even ring. Maybe 1-3 times a month, and that's nearly always from our local town (business or health related), or from a friend (not too many of those, either )

 

[aa battery]

I got an email from the old owner of this web site TNET for help.

 

[smokeythecat]

And may the reindeer of happiness make a doodie in their living room.....

 

[Chadeaux]

Great post Chadeaux!!

My biggest gripe is when I can't proceed with what I want to do without being forced to hand over MORE information! I don't give phone numbers to anyone (except when I signed up here), and I've never given a second email address. I happen to have 3 email addresses, but each one is for a different purpose. One is for forum and related use, one is for general use when dealing with businesses and associates, etc, and one is for amazon, ebay, etc.

I will also change up things a bit when I have a magazine subscription or some other info that has to be input. That way, when I get "junk mail", I can trace the source....if I even care to. But our phone doesn't even ring. Maybe 1-3 times a month, and that's nearly always from our local town (business or health related), or from a friend (not too many of those, either )

There is one you missed ... when a registration does not require me to answer an email to register, I use jdoe@privacy.net for my registration address. All emails sent here are lost forever, Really liked the "temporary email" add on for Firefox a few years back. Sure miss that one!

 

[kcm]

For me, if it requires an email address and is a magazine or something that doesn't have any real "need" for it, I leave it blank. As much as I hate Yahoo, I've got them for email. BUT, I refuse to give them a cell number for verification or some such nonsense after having no problems for many years.

Another beef I have is with passwords - or now called "passcodes", as they are no longer just words anymore. Used to be you could log in somewhere using a simple-to-remember term or phrase. But this mess of having to have 20+ characters that MUST include one of the following (CAPS, lower case, numbers, and special characters) and they recommend changing the passcode regularly. WHAT?!?!?!?!? I have a hard enough time remembering my anniversary - yet I'm supposed to remember a bunch of mumbo-jumbo garbly gook??

Now the rage is having these special pass code programs that will keep all your codes for you, so that you only have to remember a simple word or phrase. .....AM I MISSING SOMETHING HERE?!?!?