'Account Verification' emails

[Michael Hobbs]

May be off topic but...... I am getting form letters, allegedly from
companies requesting that I reply to verify that I have an account with
them. I'm supposed to click on this link and give them some information.
Prob is: so far I don't think I have an "account" with any of them! Is this
possibly a new spammer trick?

 

[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

May be off topic but...... I am getting form letters, allegedly from
companies requesting that I reply to verify that I have an account with
them. I'm supposed to click on this link and give them some information.
Prob is: so far I don't think I have an "account" with any of them! Is this
possibly a new spammer trick?

No, it's a very old trick. Try googling for 'phishing'.

 

[Gabriele Neukam]

On that special day, Michael Hobbs, ([email protected]) said...

Prob is: so far I don't think I have an "account" with any of them! Is this
possibly a new spammer trick?

Not very new, but rapidly expanding. It is called "phishing" and now
uses bad tricks like the broken URL that hides the latter part of the
line in the status bar, so that it looks like the site you are sent to
is www. goodsite. com, although ther real URL is www. goodsite. com 00%
@ www. badsite. cn or the like.

One German source on that topic is
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/data/bo-28.12.03-002/

But I don't know of international ones, although they probably do exist.
URLs anyone?

You are supposed to reveal your account and password, so that they can
write it all down and then raid your account to buy stuff on your
expense.


Gabriele Neukam

(e-mail address removed)