ome scams use the name of offers a link to what it claims
organizations we trust, and is a patch against the Sober Zafi
they are the most vicious. and Mytob worms. In fact, there
is no such thing as Microsoft
Awhile back scammers sent an Security Bulletin MS05-039, and
e-mail supposedly from the FBI. real Microsoft security bulletins
The address seemed to be fbi.gov, offer links to a Microsoft
and the message told you that you download site, rather than to the
had accessed illegal websites and patches themselves. If you click
that your Internet use had been on this supposed patch, you will
monitored by the FBI's "Internet be infected with malicious
Fraud Complaint Center." You were software that gives attackers
then told to open an attachment complete access to your computer.
and answer some questions. The
FBI says that this e-mail is a • Anti-scam rule 2: If you want
scam. If you open that attachment to download something from
your computer will be infected Microsoft or another legitimate
with a virus, tracking cookie, or organization, do not click on an
trojan horse. e-mail. Go to their official site
and download it there. That's the
• Anti-scam rule 1: Even safe way to proceed.
trusted government agencies can
have their addresses stolen. A THE "eBAY ATTACK"
trusted government agency will
not ask you to open an The scam e-mails seeking my eBay
attachment. account information started out
low key. "Dear eBay customer,
Another extremely vicious e-mail During our regularly scheduled
identifies itself as Microsoft account maintenance and
Security Bulletin MS05-039, and verification procedures, we have
detected a slight error in your Fraud Mediation" people stepped
billing information." in and got more and more testy as
I didn't supply them with my eBay
That one didn't have an eBay account number.
logo, but it apparently brought
in enough innocent victims to I felt perfectly relaxed through
warrant an upgrade. Subsequent all of this, not only because I
mailings grew more alarming and got each notice in triplicate
the official eBay logo began to (one from each sucker list I'm
appear in vivid color: "Dear eBay on) but because I DON'T HAVE AN
customer, Due to recent activity, EBAY ACCOUNT! If I had one, I
including possible unauthorized might have worried, and then done
listings placed on your account, the sensible thing: GONE TO THE
we will require a second OFFICIAL EBAY WEBSITE AND ASKED
confirmation of your identity THEM IF THEY SENT IT. My husband
with us in order to allow us to did that once and got a form
investigate this matter further. indicating (1) they get a zillion
Your account is not suspended, of these things, and (2) they
but if in 48 hours after you don't send e-mails like that. It
receive this message your account was a scam, all right.
is not confirmed we reserve the
right to suspend your eBay • Anti-scam rule 3: eBay and
registration." other legitimate organizations
are NOT going to ask you to
The scammers really, really confirm your account information
wanted my eBay account number, in an e-mail.
but I was deleting their e-mails
without clicking on their link. • Anti-scam rule 4: If you are
So they upped the ante. Because I not sure whether an e-mail is
didn't reply, the supposed "eBay from a legitimate organization or
is a scam, go to the legitimate
organization's website (rather Coming next: the most vicious
than clicking on a possibly scam of all.
infected e-mail link) and ask
them if they sent it.
About the Author:
Find the best recipe, food gift, and healthy dieting sites on Janette Blackwell's Delightful Food Directory, http://delightfulfood.com/main.html -- or enjoy her country cooking at Food and Fiction, http://foodandfiction.com/Entrance.html
Read more articles by:
Janette Blackwell
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
