Emails

A friend of mine called to ask if the email from his bank was genuine as it seem so good it must have been and they'd taken money from his account without his permission. It only took 1 min to find it was not genuine and just someone trying to get his account details. With this in mind I thought I'd post a few checks out just in case as I know that not everyone is on top of this. Others might want to add to the list too.

Check these things to make sure that emails are genuine.

All emails sent by the theiving rotton dirty b*****ds look real and it's in their interest to make it so but there are a few things that you can double check to make sure that emails sent to you are genuine.

Is the subject expected? is it your bank and have you had any dealings with that bank or society or business (alarm bells if you don't know it)

Is it addressed to you or lots of people (alarm bells if lots of people)

When you open the email does it have your name or is it addressed to general people (alarm bells if is general)

Is there a zip file attached asking you to open it (alarm bells if there is... DONT OPEN THE ZIP)

Click on reply to the email and look at the email address that its going to be sent too. A lot of return adresses are obviously not what you're expecting

Is there a 'click here' to go to bank/paypal etc. Don't click on links, if you think its genuine go to their site directly and not by clicking.

If you're still in doubt copy a bit of the mail and post it in google, there are lots of sites that check malware.

Never open a ZIP file unless you know where its come from.

Ta for the heads up Paul.

That is a great piece of info there Paul and thanks for advising those who might get caught out by these lowlifes.
I would only add or stress if you have already said, never reply to any of these but go directly to your login and see what is occurring from there.
Better still phone your bank and ask if they have sent an email and express your concerns directly to them and don't use a phone number from the email get it from a statement or yellow pages.
Your bank will never ask for a password or personal details, they already have them.
I had a phone call supposedly from my bank but to confirm I was who i am could i answer a few security questions?
I said No NO NO, you phoned me so you should know who I am, I cannot talk about your account until you answer these security questions. Good then don't talk abut my account goodbye.
These people are very convincing and persistent. CUT THEM SHORT. Put the phone down on them and phone your bank.
Which I then did, to find that yes they were trying to get hold of me and I did the right thing by being unsure.
I also did the right thing by contacting them, are you in a music shop in a Cheshire town making a purchase of a musical instrument while at the same time in PCworld in a Suffolk town purchasing HIFi equipment.
I am neither I am at work in a Hertfordshire town not purchasing anything I won't continue Nuff said init?

Excellent topic Paul

There is also a website Scam emails | Action Fraud run by City of London Police (you don't need to live in London) where you can report scams and other frauds and even send them the email.

Some of these scams are very sophisticated head the advice being given by Paul and the above website

Another scam, one that I particularly enjoy and hold the current record with the people that I know is:

You get a phone call from someone saying they're from Microsoft and tell you that you've got problems with your computer. They tell you to look at this and that directory and you see red errors... WOW....
now let me log onto your computer and I can fix it for you they say and if you let them they put software on that you cannot get rid of the popups (unless you are really in the know) without buying it.

Because they waste my time, I like to waste theirs and have had one on the phone for 43 mins. He was getting annoyed because I wouldn't let him log onto my pc and at the end said I have to let him do it, what am I an expert or something.... yes....brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I used to have fun leading them on too but they tend not to phone me anymore I dunno why?
Last time I had the nice foreign gentleman on the phone for ages, while I checked every window in the house to try and find a fault but to no avail, then he explained he wanted me to press the windows button on my confuser.
Do I have to use the keyboard for this as the windows sign on my confuser is not a button it doesn't do anything, strange nor does the one on my keyboard, when I read out to him a list of the files I had, he put the phone down on me.
Its not a windows confuser, the only windows in my house are the ones we throw buckets of water out of at the Jehovah's init?

I bought callblocker and now I probably only get a couple of cold calls a month, and each one I get I block for the future.

Peter

Thanks for the heads up Paul, sadly there are people out there that will fall for this scam ..

Good reminder, Paul. I consider myself well-educated IT-wise (spent 15 years in the business, didn't I?) but on occasion I've had to refer to my good lady (an ex-bank manager and sharp as a scalpel) because even I was almost taken in.

Grump said:

the only windows in my house are the ones we throw buckets of water out of at the Jehovah's init?

Click to expand...

Note to self: take a mac and brolly along when visiting Brian, init?

Buckeye said:

I bought callblocker and now I probably only get a couple of cold calls a month, and each one I get I block for the future.

Peter

Click to expand...

I bought BT phones that have call blocking on but the same company who 'Dont want to sell me anything' continue to phone despite being blocked, they just have another number starting 02***** The problem is how cheap it is to buy numbers with Skype so they probably have 1000's of numbers that cost £3.00 each or there about so its a bugger to block them untill they've used all their numbers. I've been trying to keep them on the line but they get angry very quickly.

A friend upset one by saying 'do your parents know that you are trying to steal money from people' there were tears and everything

SWMBO in ours listens briefly then says truthfully I dont have a computer and says goodby for me I say yes I have but I do not need you goodby phone down. I remain computer challenged.

Peter.