amazon.com warning: be careful!!

[welshTerrier2]

i received the email below from Amazon.com (but it really wasn't from Amazon at all) ... it's totally bogus ... if you click on "click here" in the email, it takes you to a web page that asks you to provide your Amazon.com account information including all your credit card info ...

this is called "phishing" for those not familiar with the crime ... if you enter your information, all you're doing is giving it to criminals ...

the domain that comes up if you follow the link is registered to a group called: RIPE Network Coordination Centre in Amsterdam in the Netherlands ...

i called Amazon on this and they said the email was totally bogus ... a word to the wise: if you're going to give your personal info out online, make damned sure the website is really who you think they are ...

oh, and here's another little tip about Amazon: good luck finding their customer service number on their website ... it is very buried ... the number is: [phone] (from inside the US)

here's the bogus email i received:

Dear Amazon User,

We regret to inform you that your Amazon account could be suspended if you don't re-update your account information. To resolve this problems please click here and re-enter your account information. If your problems could not be resolved your account will be suspended for a period of 3-4 days, after this period your account will be terminated.

Thanks again for shopping with us.

Amazon.com
Earth's Biggest Selection

This is an automatic message. Please do not reply.

[napi21]

1. Good that you posted this but anyone who is active on the net knows

this kind of email is bogus. This particular sam idea is sooo old, the scammer is just plain stupid!

I'd be very surprised if any DUers didn't recognize it!

I was surprised the other day that some of the more clever scamers are now using voice mail over VOIP to do a similar thing. They're just as smarmy, but at least used a bit of ingenuity!

[Journeyman]

2. Best advice I can give. . .

Any legitimate email from a retailer you are legitimately subscribed to will always have your name in the salutation. If it addresses you generically, it's most likely bogus.

[LA lady]

3. Phishers everywhere

I get this same nonsense "from" pay-Pal and EBay. I never pay attention to this unless I have contacted the vendor.
Also my accounts at about 50 banks (In which I have NO MONEY) have been tampered with! All I have to do is give them my info and they will straighten it all out! ha!

[pagerbear]

4. Legit vendors will never ask you for sensitive information in an email.

When in any doubt, always go to the web site by entering the site in your browser's address bar, not by clicking a link in the email and check for yourself whatever the claim is in the email--credit card or password info about to expire, etc.

All the web sites should also have a place where you can go for security issues, as well as an address to forward emails like this to check out if they're phishing.

[patricia92243]

7. I did not know this. Thanks for posting. Also, post #5 was news to me.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that is not very computer savvy, and posts like this one need to appear occasionally.

:)

[geckosfeet]

5. This type of scam has become SOP on the net. Similar phishing

expeditions for various banks, investment houses, EBay, and PayPal are sent out on a regular basis.

Be very wary of bogus "suspended account" threats. The delete key is your friend.

This is almost as bad as "elevated terra alert."

Typically I will not even open and email from someone I do not recognize. I just hit delete and forget about it. If they are legitimate and want to reach me they probably have my address and/or phone number.

[high density]

6. RIPE controls IP addresses

in Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. You need to look the IP up in their database for more information.

http://www.ripe.net/whois

[welshTerrier2]

9. interesting ... thanks ... check this out ...

here's the registration info i found:

Abdollah Fateh
address: Pars Online Co.
address: 224 Khoramshahr ave., No. 6C
address: Tehran 15337
address: Iran

those darn Iranians ... i think we should just nuke 'em ...

[TreasonousBastard]

8. I used to get these all the time, and...

some of them are getting really good at it. Even the Nigerian scammers are coming up with very good hooks now.

Anyway, Eudora has a nice little goodie built in that warns you a website is not legitimate, and finds most of the phishing scams before you click the link. Some other email and webmail clients are catching up to that, too.

What I usually did was to forward the email, including the headers, to eBay, the bank, or whoever else they used as bait for the phish. Usually, there's a "[e-mail]" email addy, or something close to it.

You have to include ALL the headers, including the ones you don't see without clicking on something to view all of them, and the offended places are usually very glad to get them. They know what to do, even though most of the header info ends up being bogus.

[LunaSea]

10. "Write better emails. Make more moneys."

(It's phoney, but still funny.)

Like most Nigerians, you're probably finding that it's increasingly difficult to earn a decent living from email. That's why you need to attend the 3rd Annual Nigerian EMail Conference.

* List of Events

As in the past, this conference
has something for everyone.
You will hear presentations by
some of the world's leading
Nigerian Email businessmen
and businesswomen.

Following are just a few of the
many events that are scheduled.

*

Breakfast Kickoff Session:
Your choice: A hard boiled egg, or two slices of white bread and a cricket.
*

Keynote Address:
Dr. Hamza Kalu's adds some historical perspective in his keynote address: "From Postal Scams To Email Scams: We Have Come a Long Way Infant Child."
*

Debate:
Attend a lively debate between Lady Mariam Abacha and Mr. Godwin Oyathelem. Topic: "The effectiveness of using all UPPERCASE characters."
*

Practical Discussion:
Mallam Mahmud Abacah answers the question, "Are 10 million emails a day too many?"




More-
http://j-walk.com/other/conf/

[unhappycamper]

11. Good tip. Here's another one for ya:

Never, ever, ever, ever click on an e-mail attachment from someone you don't know.

[WestSeattle2]

12. "re-update"?! Take an English class..... n/t