Schtupid Email Scams

[lake_wrangler]

I was just honored, this week, to get calls from both Microsoft and Apple, warning me about problems they'd detected with their software running on my computer.

I didn't have the heart to phone them back and tell them that I run only Linux and Android.

I did call them back, once, to let them know they were in error, for that very reason... They rudely hung up on me!

[Bookworm]

I was just honored, this week, to get calls from both Microsoft and Apple, warning me about problems they'd detected with their software running on my computer.

I didn't have the heart to phone them back and tell them that I run only Linux and Android.

I did call them back, once, to let them know they were in error, for that very reason... They rudely hung up on me!

How does one politely hang up on someone? I mean, it's not like you can bang the receiver apologetically.

[lake_wrangler]

I was just honored, this week, to get calls from both Microsoft and Apple, warning me about problems they'd detected with their software running on my computer.

I didn't have the heart to phone them back and tell them that I run only Linux and Android.

I did call them back, once, to let them know they were in error, for that very reason... They rudely hung up on me!

How does one politely hang up on someone? I mean, it's not like you can bang the receiver apologetically.

It's when you feel the need to bang the receiver hard, to make a point, that you realize the one shortcoming of cell phones...

[TazManiac]

Here's the latest; nothing really great, but current...

Off Topic

Dear E-mail Beneficiary,
You are award recipient for the sum of 1,500,000.00 in the concluded UN development
program 2018.
Western Union Malaysia have been instructed to start sending you 7,600.00 USD daily.
Please Click on reply and send in your receiving details via E-mail to file for
claims/more inquiries on this program.
Yours truly Mrs. Diana Hosun Western Union Malaysia


Virus-free. www.avast.com

btw- It's really reassuring to find (out) this scam is been screened as 'virus free'...

[Bookworm]

Here's the latest; nothing really great, but current...

Off Topic

Dear E-mail Beneficiary,
You are award recipient for the sum of 1,500,000.00 in the concluded UN development
program 2018.
Western Union Malaysia have been instructed to start sending you 7,600.00 USD daily.
Please Click on reply and send in your receiving details via E-mail to file for
claims/more inquiries on this program.
Yours truly Mrs. Diana Hosun Western Union Malaysia


Virus-free. www.avast.com

btw- It's really reassuring to find you this scam is been screened as 'virus free'...

It could be worse. It could have something like this.

"Norton Security has verified that this email is accurate."

[Dave]

Off Topic

Virus-free. www.avast.com

btw- It's really reassuring to find you this scam is been screened as 'virus free'...

For some reason, the scammers haven't paid for the optional upgrade to Avast which unlocks the modules that detect lies, sleaze, and slime. Pity about that, really. You'd think that the usual margin and commission for handling a $1,500,000.00 transaction would cover that sort of modest license fee...

[TazManiac]

Here's the latest; nothing really great, but current...

Off Topic

Dear E-mail Beneficiary,
You are award recipient for the sum of 1,500,000.00 in the concluded UN development
program 2018.
Western Union Malaysia have been instructed to start sending you 7,600.00 USD daily.
Please Click on reply and send in your receiving details via E-mail to file for
claims/more inquiries on this program.
Yours truly Mrs. Diana Hosun Western Union Malaysia


Virus-free. www.avast.com

btw- It's really reassuring to find (out) this scam is been screened as 'virus free'...

Well, at least they are persistent...

Dear E-mail Beneficiary,
You are award recipient for the sum of 1,500,000.00 in the on-going United Nations organization Scam victims compensation program.
SIGN
Western Union

[Bookworm]

Let's see - this will just be subject lines.

In the last couple of days, junk mail has ramped up for my main account. It's been quiet for a long time.

So, we've had, just today -

Keto ultra diet takes Shark Tank by storm (contains an image with a link to a random hacked/created web site, and paragraphs of random sentences and keywords)

Create the most perfect textile image (Same sort of thing in the body, mostly discussing laser engravers)

Expand your stock-portfolio into biotechnology (Body contains discussion about killing Saudi royalty because we don't need their oil)

Drop 1b a day for summer (body has random mumblings about diets)

Expand your signal dramatically with this small device. Learn More. (Body pushes signal booster, then has brief hypertext link rant about german and UK immigrants - that is, immigrants TO germany and the UK)

Winter is coming. This tiny heater will keep you warm (Body contains tracking link to site that DOES actually sell wall plug heaters. I wouldn't want to plug a 400 watt heater directly into the wall socket, personally. )

20 Banner Ads for One Cent = Two Million Available for $997 (Yes, because obviously I want to advertise outside of the geographical area I work.)

An art tool for everyone, no skill required (laser engravers again)

You can now eat carbs on Keto using this trick - (this is the piece de resistance for today. The body of the email starts with a discussion of Oracle programming, then pushes the diet whatever, then ends with a comparison of someone and Hitler, nazi germany and Asian ethnic policies, then something about the cost of Tesla roadsters. )

Sometimes I think PT Barnum wasn't pessimistic enough.

[Typeminer]

I got a robocall in Mandarin today.

I work from home. Calls to my work number are redirected to my home landline, so I have to pick up during business hours.

I get a lot of scam robocalls, of course, but this was interesting. There was music, and the message seemed to repeat. Sounded like a hold message, really.

Awhile later, IT alerted everyone that the office phones were getting hit with bogus Chinese extortion calls. They included a link to an NPR story from May. Apparently the scammers hit area codes with Chinese residents and don't bother with any finer targeting. They spoof a legitimate consulate phone number and try to get people to connect to a live scammer. Basic con is that you are being investigated for financial fraud, or a family member has been arrested--send money to this bank in Hong Kong, or else.

It was a change from the calls about my electricity and credit card rates and updates about the back brace I didn't order.

[lake_wrangler]

You mean, you didn't call them back??? But what about that poor relative of yours, who's currently stuck in China?

Have a heart, will you!



Meanwhile, Bookworm, you are just SO privileged... I almost envy you. Make sure to share the wealth, right? You know, remember the little people, and so on... ("little poeple"... did I just disqualify myself, there? )
And I expect a full report on that diet, once you're done with it. I do have a lot of weight to lose, after all, but I don't have time to try them all, so I'll just wait for you to confirm that it works...

Meanwhile, the second:
Hey, TazManiac. I'm sorry to hear that you had fallen victim to some scam in the past. But I sure am glad the UN is taking care of this for you!

[Dave]

Sometimes I think PT Barnum wasn't pessimistic enough.

Man... as hash-busters go, those message bodies are really something. I now see the downside to running my own mail servers and doing my own quite-vigorous spam blocking. I'm obviously missing out on a whole slice of the too-ridiculous-to-be-believed!

I think Barnum silly wasn't aware of the simple that it isn't actually iron that forms the core of the Earth. It's irony.

[Dave]

Apparently the scammers hit area codes with Chinese residents and don't bother with any finer targeting. They spoof a legitimate consulate phone number and try to get people to connect to a live scammer.

Yeah, I've gotten a couple of those on my cellphone. Since the only Mandarin I know is a tan Gerine I haven't been fooled too badly.

Apparently the major telcos are being pressured into finally doing something about spoofed phone numbers. There is work underway to add digital-certificate authentication to phone calls (the STIR/SHAKEN protocol changes) so that number spoofing can be detected, and calls rejected if they don't authenticate. It will take years to roll this out, of course.

[GlytchMeister]

Finally, they’re doing something about it. I’m tired of people calling my phone saying I called them.

[Atomic]

I am rather fond of one I once got demanding payment via Blockbuster gift cards....

[Bookworm]

Apparently the scammers hit area codes with Chinese residents and don't bother with any finer targeting. They spoof a legitimate consulate phone number and try to get people to connect to a live scammer.

Yeah, I've gotten a couple of those on my cellphone. Since the only Mandarin I know is a tan Gerine I haven't been fooled too badly.

Apparently the major telcos are being pressured into finally doing something about spoofed phone numbers. There is work underway to add digital-certificate authentication to phone calls (the STIR/SHAKEN protocol changes) so that number spoofing can be detected, and calls rejected if they don't authenticate. It will take years to roll this out, of course.

They could do it tomorrow if they wanted to.

What most people don't understand is that the phone companies already have lists of numbers, and the companies that have been assigned those numbers. For example, when you switch your phone number from AT&T to Sprint, Sprint does a 'broadcast' communication to notify all of the various telcos that the number should no longer be routed to AT&T, but to Sprint. All they have to do is check the caller ID broadcast (which happens BEFORE the first ring), and if it's not coming from the assigned Telco, shitcan it. That takes care of about 95% of the spam calls. The rest - we'll have to shoot the political shills, because they've been allowed to continue to spam call 'do not call' numbers. This won't affect legitimate 'out of country' calls, because their calls have phone numbers assigned to the telco they're coming _out_ of. I've had several people call me on my cellular phone because "I called them." At least one robocaller is moving through cellular numbers, and THAT ticks me off that it's being allowed from somewhere that's NOT T-Mobile.

For a real example, I have a customer with two locations in Houston. Both of them show the same caller ID number for calling outbound, despite the fact that only -one- is that physical address for that number. I got the provider to allow me to override the caller ID with the phone system. It still comes out of the same provider, so it would pass the above filter.

For those spammers that can robo-call from legitimate providers? Well, then they're easy enough to trace, as the telco in question _will_ have records.

[Bookworm]

Oh - because of the huge international community here, we get spam robocalls in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish. I haven't heard any Arabic, Hindi, or Urdu yet, though. Maybe because most of them make Scots look like spendthrifts

[jwhouk]

I do use NoMoRobo here in PHX, as Cox finally got off their doofuses and allowed simultaneous ring to make it activate.

Only thing is, I still get some spam calls coming through - and the phone still rings, but only once (usually).

[jwhouk]

The latest thing in my e-mail box? "FU <usernamehere> I HATE YOU MOTHER F#CKER"

The preview of the first line basically says "WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME? F#CK YOU..."

Obviously, it feeds on the first reaction most people would have to the e-mail - "Who the heck are you, and I never called you!"

[Bookworm]

Here's the spam du jour today. - You can tell it's obviously stupid because I don't have a building where my company is conducted. I'm an IT consultant.

Hello. I write you to inform you that my man has hidden an explosive device (lead azide) in the building where your company is conducted. My recruited person built a bomb according to my guide. It is small and it is covered up very carefully, it is impossible to destroy the supporting building structure by my explosive device, but there will be many wounded people in the case of its detonation.
My man is controlling the situation around the building. If any unnatural behavioror cop is noticed he will blow up the device.
I want to propose you a deal. 20'000 usd is the price for your safety and business. Tansfer it to me in BTC and I ensure that I have to withdraw my man and the bomb will not explode. But do not try to cheat- my guarantee will become valid only after 3 confirmations in blockchain.

Here is my Bitcoin address - 1D3ArQebDneVBVCqLort9jwvUA3AoZaNq5

You have to transfer bitcoins by the end of the workday. If the working day is over and people start leaving the building explosive will explode.
Nothing personal this is just a business, if I do not see the bitcoins and the bomb explodes, next time other companies will pay me more bitcoins, because this isnt a single incident.
To stay anonimous I will not visit this email. I check my Bitcoin wallet every twenty minutes and after seeing the money I will give the command to my recruited person to get away.

If a bomb detonates and the authorities see this letter!
We arent terrorists and dont take liability for explosions in other places.

[Dave]

Here's the spam du jour today.

Jeez.

Major, major Federal felony charges, anyone?

It reads just like the "I've hacked your XXXX account via my subtle malware, have the proof of your nasty porn-viewing habits, pay me bit-coins to preserve your privacy" scam letters, with the sexual blackmail thread crudely replaced by a bomb threat. "Punks these days have no imagination at all."

You can tell it's obviously stupid because I don't have a building where my company is conducted. I'm an IT consultant.

A seriously ignorant scammer. Anybody who knows anything, knows that the IT industry is in tents.

We arent terrorists and dont take liability for explosions in other places.

Right. I'm certain that both of those assertions will hold up perfectly in court.

The hell of it is, there are probably at least a few companies that will receive this sort of spam, go into panic mode, and start shoveling funds in the scammer's direction. Just In Case.

EDIT: Oh boy. https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/13/us/email ... index.html

Message to scammer: ♪ You're In Trouble! ♪