Consumer news and scams

[Ian]

BBC1 has run a news item this morning warning people to take extra care regarding the ubiquitous 'phone scams. This is part of their annual pre-Christmas warning broadcasts but many are falling for these scams, which have become increasingly sophisticated.

Those most at risk are people whose number is not ex-directory and who use landlines.  It seems the scammers are using two techniques: the first is to ring pretending to be your bank's security department and ask you for your PIN.  The second involves subsequently arranging for a courier to collect your cards, on the pretext they've been compromised. Both techniques, however, depend on people not following basic rules: never, ever give out your entire PIN over the 'phone, never, ever believe anyone who tells you that they'll send a courier round to collect your cards (banks will only ever ask you to cut them up and destroy them) and always refuse to deal with anyone who 'phones out of the blue claiming to be the bank's fraud department until you've 'phoned the bank directly from a number you already have and 'phone someone else before you do.

The last precaution is because increasingly cunning spammers will often ask you to 'phone the bank immediately to confirm that it's a legitimate call. By not cutting off the line at their end, and by sometimes playing the sound of a ring tone they can dupe you into believing the line is clear for you to ring out, when in reality you're simply talking to the same sneaky Spammers.   

[Yorkie]

Is this the latest scam?  A clever way to get at a lot of info!   ZXZ
   
Dear Customer,   
Your Apple ID was used to sign in to iCloud on an iPhone 6.   
26 December, 2014
Operating System: iOS;8.0.1
To verify this email address belongs to you, click the link below and then sign in using your Apple ID and password.

Verify Now >

Why you received this email.
Apple requests verification whenever an email address is added to an Apple ID. Your email address cannot be used without verification.

Apple Support

[Ian]

Yes, it is. Apple routinely warn you when your Apple ID is used or changed, but they never request verification. It's very sneaky,. though, and could catch a lot of newcomers to the platform out - especially over Christmas.

[Bri Roberts]

What is your opinion please on this email from Mail Delivery Service?

When I hover of the sender it does read: postmaster@btinternet.com

Subject: Delivery Status Notification
     
  - These recipients of your message have been processed by the mail server:
bri.roberts@btinternet.com; Failed; 5.3.0 (other or undefined mail system status)
 
    Remote MTA mx-bt.mail.am0.yahoodns.net: network error
 
  - SMTP protocol diagnostic: 250 recipient <bri.roberts@btinternet.com> ok

[SDQ]

What is your opinion please on this email from Mail Delivery Service?

When I hover of the sender it does read: postmaster@btinternet.com

Subject: Delivery Status Notification
     
 

I get a similar one from AOL when an e-mail fails to deliver for whatever reason.
Sometimes it's because their Antivirus doesn't like an attachment, especially if it's to their work e-mail, or the e-mail address is no longer valid.

[Nemesis]

Similar.

I often get things returned or refused which have an attachment.

[Bri Roberts]

Thank you for your replies but on this occasion, and unlike me, I was tempted to click on the attachment and it read as follows.

Shouldn't this form of e-mail automatically go into my spam folder instead?

From: Les Daley
Date: 19/12/2014 09:51:54
To: Undisclosed recipients:,
Subject: Help........Les Daley
     
I'm so glad to read from you,I need £2,300 . but if the whole amount can't be covered, I would gladly appreciate any amount you can put in to help. you can have the money wired to me via Western Union. Have it wired to my name and present location, here are the details you need to have it wired to me..

Name: John Burrow
Address: Tarasa Shevchenka Blvd, 37/122, Kiev, Ukraine
City:  Kiev
Country: Ukraine
 
I still have my passport here with me to claim the funds.Once you are done with the transfer at the western union e-mail me the Confirmation details(MTCN) for the pickup of the funds.

Waiting to read from you soon.

Regards,
 
Les Daley,

[Yorkie]

I don't have any idea where the nearest Western Union Office is!  Just wondering what would happen if I sent a similar plea to my address book list!  A big fat Zero, I reckon.   

[SDQ]

I don't have any idea where the nearest Western Union Office is!  Just wondering what would happen if I sent a similar plea to my address book list!  A big fat Zero, I reckon.   

They're usually located within another business in the smaller towns & villages.
Possibly travel agents or small private stores like Spar etc...

[Dave]

Anyone else getting regular emails telling them their latest BT bill is unpaid and asking to resubmit details.
All a scam of course !

[Merddin Emrys]

Yes, but they never use your name, I get fake PayPal messages too, saying a payment has gone out, but will not show on my account yet!  :rage:

[Ian]

Over the past week there has been a marked increase in the number of 'nonsense' emails being received. These often contain meaningless phrases and poems but don't seem to have any attachments.

If you receive one of these, obviously don't respond to it but delete it immediately. There are several theories as to what's behind them and none of them is good:

1.  The use of the poems, etc. is to defeat the Bayesian filters employed by ISPs to block SPAM. They may not appear to have anything other than a poem on but they may be carriers of the 'single pixel' attack

2.  If you get large numbers of this type of email, it may be being used to distract you from serous warning messages sent legitimately.  Check all your email carefully.

3.  The email might depend on your email setting (like Outlook) to generate a response.  It might be worth setting the program to "Ask me before sending a response".

4.  The most likely theory is that someone in the criminal community has bought a new botnet and is trying it out. The 'proof' of that could be that in a few days we can all expect a whole barrage of SPAM.

 

[DaveR]

Use gmail and spam is not a problem. I've had maybe 2 spam emails get into my inbox in the last year.

[OrmeMac]

Use gmail and spam is not a problem.

However you are giving Google the right to access all your messages and can't delete any of them.

[Ian]

That's the other side of the coin.