I got a wierd email this morning

[Droogs]

I received a strange email this morning. It came from an personal addy I do not know /recognise and the text said:

You have been gifted, contact (a personal email address given) for info


not sure what the hell this is

any ideas

 

[Rorschach]

A scam

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Something not to be touched with a bargepole.

 

[Stanleymonkey]

delete it

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Spoofed email address probably, and a scam attempt, and if it includes a clickable link(s) - don't click on it/them. If you hover over a clickable link, at the bottom left of your screen (usually) will be shown the address to which you'd go to if you do activate the link. All the scammer wants is a link you create by clicking on their link so they can get into your computer and roam around and help themselves to whatever they want.

Some scammers have got even more clever and they've made the close email or delete button into a surreptitious link so simply closing/deleting the email in your email client can get you into trouble. That's why I go to my internet provider's website to pre-screen emails on their server before I download emails to my email client (MS Outlook). At least that way I can get out of an email I don't like the look of by selecting the refresh button on their user interface rather than clicking on anything within the email itself. I'm not sure that's a fool-proof and safer method for dealing with all the scam emails, but so far it seems to have worked for me. Slainte.

 

[Droogs]

thanks guys, have binned and reported it

 

[robgul]

Spoofed email address probably, and a scam attempt, and if it includes a clickable link(s) - don't click on it/them. If you hover over a clickable link, at the bottom left of your screen (usually) will be shown the address to which you'd go to if you do activate the link. All the scammer wants is a link you create by clicking on their link so they can get into your computer and roam around and help themselves to whatever they want.

Some scammers have got even more clever and they've made the close email or delete button into a surreptitious link so simply closing/deleting the email in your email client can get you into trouble. That's why I go to my internet provider's website to pre-screen emails on their server before I download emails to my email client (MS Outlook). At least that way I can get out of an email I don't like the look of by selecting the refresh button on their user interface rather than clicking on anything within the email itself. I'm not sure that's a fool-proof and safer method for dealing with all the scam emails, but so far it seems to have worked for me. Slainte.

Ditto - one wonders where they get the details - we had an oddity yesterday where my daughter, who has been married for 12 years and uses her married surname, received a scam letter (the usual £7 million quid) that was addressed to her in her maiden name and with her correct postal address (she has lived in the house for about 6 years and can't recall what might connect her maiden name to the address) It referred to a late ancestor that, obviously, didn't exist.

What is also bonkers is the amounts in these letters - if it was say £100,000 or even £500,000 I'm sure they'd get more bites?

 

[bp122]

What is also bonkers is the amounts in these letters - if it was say £100,000 or even £500,000 I'm sure they'd get more bites?

I think some of it is by design.

I saw on QI that the extravagant amounts in these emails and even the apparent typos in the "Nigerian prince" scams are deliberate as it filters out most people (marks) with decent education or common sense so that the scammers can actually focus on the rest of the sheep.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

That makes sense.

 

[robgul]

I think some of it is by design.

I saw on QI that the extravagant amounts in these emails and even the apparent typos in the "Nigerian prince" scams are deliberate as it filters out most people (marks) with decent education or common sense so that the scammers can actually focus on the rest of the sheep.

Ah, that makes some sense.

In a similar vein - I had a letter out of the blue a few months ago that referred to some mystery relating to my late father and finance - bearing in mind that my father died in 1994 this seemed like a potential scam . . . but after a bit of research the ender appeared to be genuine, and I had to reply via a solicitor to find out what it was about. [I was an executor and despite having moved house twice since 1994 they tracked me down]

Anyway it turned out that the share registry for a public company had unearthed a few shares that my father held and there was a current value plus 26 years of accrued dividends - don't know how we missed it for probate? Anyway, after some identity stuff the upshot was a cheque for about £1,100 from the proceeds net of some admin costs and a commission charge. I treated myself to a reproduction Eames chair and footstool

 

[bp122]

Ah, that makes some sense.

In a similar vein - I had a letter out of the blue a few months ago that referred to some mystery relating to my late father and finance - bearing in mind that my father died in 1994 this seemed like a potential scam . . . but after a bit of research the ender appeared to be genuine, and I had to reply via a solicitor to find out what it was about. [I was an executor and despite having moved house twice since 1994 they tracked me down]

Anyway it turned out that the share registry for a public company had unearthed a few shares that my father held and there was a current value plus 26 years of accrued dividends - don't know how we missed it for probate? Anyway, after some identity stuff the upshot was a cheque for about £1,100 from the proceeds net of some admin costs and a commission charge. I treated myself to a reproduction Eames chair and footstool

A welcome windfall! Always nice.
That never happens to me. Although I feel happy when I get a 50p or a pound in my trouser pocket when I don't expect it!

 

[DrPhill]

I had this one some time ago.... it is brilliant. It selects for people stupid enough to have already fallen for a scam;

AFCHPR (African Court of Human and People's Rights)
From the Desk of Angelo Vasco Matusse
Judge of the AFCHPR.
AFRICAN COURT HOUSE, ABJ-NIG.
Ref: FMF/SGH/192/00388
Date: 21st April 2018..


ATTN: Beneficiary ,

CASE Suit No: 2018 SVC 961497 /File No: 20199016-UN-USgov-NG / SCAM VICTIM COMPENSATION PAYMENT.

Before I proceed with the purpose of this email, I would like to say Congratulations on your nomination for the 2018 Scam Victim Compensation Payment.

The outcome of Our meeting with the United States Congressional delegates lead by Darrell Edward Issa (Member of the United states House of Representatives) on the 3rd of August 2015, in the presence of two Highly ranked International Judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) & African Court of Human & People's Right ( ACHPR) has presented another opportunity for Scam Victims to receive Compensation & Restitution for damages. As part of a Promise made to the President Barrack Obama administration in 2015, the United Nations have finally approved payment to resolve all outstanding human right violations and Scam Victims to receive Compensation for the year 2018.

If you received this e-mail, this means that you have been identified as a Scam Victim, hence you have been awarded the sum of US$5,600.000.00 (Five million Six hundred thousand dollars) as compensation for the damages. You are advised to Immediately forward your information for claim, information required as follows:

Your Full Name(s)
Your Current Address,
Active Contact Telephone Number (Home & Cell),
Age, *** & Marital status
Govt form of ID (Drivers License, Intl Passport etc.

As soon as we received your information, you will be given directives to enable you receive your fund.


Yours Sincerely,


Angelo Vasco Matusse
Chief Judge Justice
African Court of Human and People's Right (AFCHPR).
​

 

[MikeK]

A few years ago I received a letter in a ghastly yellow envelope notifying me that I had unclaimed money in California in excess of $450. If I wanted detailed information on how to claim the money, I needed to send $45 to the company.

Normally, I shred mail like this, but this time, the information in the letter was unique because it contained an old insurance account number from New York and a military address in California. After a bit of Internet research, I discovered that the company was legitimate and routinely searched through unclaimed account lists maintained by each of the States. It made its money through the 10-percent finder's fees.

After a bit more research, I verified the abandoned money was in fact mine. Shortly before being assigned to Korea in the early 80's, I cancelled an auto insurance policy I had in New York. I left before the company could return the unused premium and apparently forgot about notifying the company of my new address. After a few years, the insurance company turned the money over to the New York treasury as abandoned property. A few years after that, New York transferred the money to the California treasury since that was the last known address New York had for me based on my state tax filing, and there it remained for the next three decades.

My research also revealed how to search each State treasury for unclaimed money and file a claim for it. I did this directly with California, and received a cashier's check by mail a month later for $453.75, which was the entire amount I was due from the insurance premium. I mailed a $45 cashier's check to the company that sent the letter, along with a copy of the California check, and thanked them for alerting me to the unclaimed money. Fair is fair, and I would not have known about the money had it not been for their letter.

 

[Terrytpot]

Whilst the spam emails are usually fairly easy to spot the sophistication of them is also evolving. The days of just relying on poor grammar are over but what really irks me now is how they've branched out into texts and phone calls. Yesterday ,as my mother is currently out of the country, I answered a call that was displayed as "international" which my wife had tried to answer several times without success. I actually got to briefly listen to the patter that had originated somewhere in Asia, at a guess, which was attempting to hoodwink me into providing information in relation to a service (BT broadband) that I don't have. The part that boils my p155 is we're "ex-directory" and make a point of not sharing our home number outside of our family so where have they got it from? Historically the likes of TSB,Barclays and T-Mobile have all been prosecuted for failing in their duty in relation to the data protection act but something tells me there are a lot of other companies not carrying out the due diligence they should be practicing. If you haven't already sorted out some software or a system to frequently change your passwords perhaps now would be a good time to look into doing it

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've had half a dozen calls this week that have gone dead as soon as I've picked up the phone - about two seconds in most cases - all from an Edinburgh code. Likewise, I'm ex directory and if I get one call a day usually, that's it. Makes a change from I'm from Microsoft ...

 

[artie]

I've had half a dozen calls this week that have gone dead as soon as I've picked up the phone -

I've had lots of those too.
I reckon it's someone testing if it's an active number so it can be added to a list and sold on.

 

[Droogs]

I've had half a dozen calls this week that have gone dead as soon as I've picked up the phone - about two seconds in most cases - all from an Edinburgh code. Likewise, I'm ex directory and if I get one call a day usually, that's it. Makes a change from I'm from Microsoft ...

Thats me trying to let you know, I know you're not my SS as I cut my finger on a sharp bit sticking out the box


It is strange though as all the calls like that are from bristol or manchester numbers for me. Unless it is someone calling about a missing skip as they have a similar number, 1 digit different

 

[Sandyn]

Scamming barstewards. They use automated system to call numbers. The system checks if the number answers, but that's all. If it does, that number goes on a list of 'live numbers'that is then passed to another group who then have humans call the number asking about the accident you had last week. If you say anything positive, or don't hang up or even engage with them, that number goes on a list of 'gullible people' After all that is done, the lists are sold on.

All my 'calling about the accident last week' come from Glasgow.
I never answer a number I don't know. If it's genuine, they will leave a message or call back, but I still won't answer.

You can check if your ID has been hacked, or appears on a spambot list.

One of my email ID's has been associated with 13 major security breaches by companies such as Adobe, My Heritage, LinkedIn, also on several lists of hacked accounts. One list contains 2.7 billion records, 226 million address/password combinations, but I have had that email address for about 30 years.

 

[billw]

Ex-directory is worthless once your number is called and it rings, it’s added to a list of active numbers.

 

[artie]

You can check if your ID has been hacked, or appears on a spambot list.

I'm a bit reluctant to put my email in there. Could be just giving it away.