Be warned, there's some nasties out there !

I'll say again, subscribe to the OU's Safe Computing Bulletins for some of the best info on what these arseholes are up to at the moment, and solid advice on how to clean up after them.
http://www.safecomputing.open.ac.uk
Seconded. Excellent service - 6-10 emails a week as required. It also means you can turn off auto-update services for things like iTunes, QuickTime, Flash and Java (all of which can be problematic, especially on XP systems) and still never miss security updates.

 

My father turned 90 a few months back and as a gift my sister and I purchased him a new computer as his old computer was quite out of date. He also moved into an apartment at a seniors residence at around the same time. Shortly after moving he received a call from one of those scammers pretending to be the M$ tech who told him his computer was infected with a virus and it was attacking other computers on the internet. Anyway this a$$Ho1e managed to trick my father into doing some things on his computer that he shouldn't have but eventually Dad clued in that this was a scam and he hung up on the guy. Nevertheless some damage was done and beyond that now my father is afraid to use his computer, despite the fact that it has be wiped and reset. This scam has ruined one of the simple things that Dad used to do through the day which he enjoyed. Personally I'd love to get my hands on the joker who did. It was a very unpleasant experience for my Dad, not something that someone in their 90's should have to put up with.

I found this response that someone made to one of these callers;

"I had one of these infamous calls from a guy with a very heavy Indian accent. Well obviously not having anything better in life to do I played along. When he asked me to enter a url, I just pretended to type (to get the sounds) and then I screamed OH F*CK in his ears, when he asked what was wrong I said to him I've just hacked the FBI and they're tracking my computer and all my phone calls are monitored for drug activity. Needless to say, I have not been contacted again. Oh the life and times of a housewife hey?

I'll have to remember that one.

 

I'm sorry for your father. About that response, I find it brilliant, I shall use a variation the next time a certain religious sect comes ringing my bell

 

Hi VP. Yes, I changed everything to protect my PC and banking and personal info.
One more important point. They gave me an Auckland telephone number but my IT guru says this was probably patched through to Delhi. So don't trust 'local' numbers if offered as proof of integrity.

The really dumb thing is, these (or similar) people keep calling me. Don't they keep records of who they've already scammed!
Pete

 

They probably won't keep records, too bloody careless and incompetent, or if they do they can be angling for a repeat sucker.

 

As a possible "devouted" customer I gave this one a miss

Dear LloydsTSB Online customer,

The bank congratulates you as a devouted customer and rewards
you with a shopping cheque of 200 pounds this christmas,

but unfortunately we were unable to send your reward cheque due
to a possible error your home address information.

This might be due to either of the following reasons:

- A recent change in your personal information .
- Submitting invalid information during the initial sign up process.

Consequently, we placed a temporary restriction on your account.
We did this to protect your account from any fraudulent activity.

Please verify your information (LINK REMOVED)

Thank you,

LloydsTSB Customer Service

Ron

 

Attn: Owner/Manager
The Better Business Bureau has got the above mentioned complaint from one of your clients on the subject of their dealings with you.
The details of the consumer's concern are explained in attached document.
Please examine this matter and let us know about your opinion.
We kindly ask you to click here to answer this complaint.

We look forward to your prompt response.

 

More of the usual rubbish including the unique spelling of "discovered"


Halifax E-mail Alert

Dear Halifax Customer,

We recently have discoverd that different computers have logged onto your Internet Banking account, and multiple failure security question and answer were present before the logons. We now need you to re-confirm your account information to us.

If this is not completed by December 20, 2011, we will be forced to suspend your account indefinitely, as it may have been used for fraudulent purposes. We thank you for your cooperation in this manner.


To confirm your Internet Banking records click on the following link:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Wow Ron, and they're only giving the hackers a week to drain your accounts before they do something

 

ah they get better

Dear customer,

In order to reduce the number of cases of fraud and scams, we have adopted a new security system. In this connection all your account ACH and WIRE transactions will be suspended , because your current security version is not in compliance with the new requirements.. In order to reinstate your account abilities, it is necessary that you install a special security software. You may use the link below to download and install all the necessary files.

We apologize for causing you troubles by this measure.
If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Yours faithfully,

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Security Department

 

Ministry of Justice do not work after 17:00 (5 o'clock) looking at our clock it was 17:45.



My son works for the Ministry of Justice, and he does work beyond 17:00!

 

Peter is spot on with his recommendation of Cookie Cleaner and, as he points out, it's for nowt !

The following in this mornings postbag.

Dear Customer,

We noticed irregular activity in your Co-operative Bank Account through
your Card.

For your protection, you must verify this activity before you can continue
using our online Access.

You can verify this using the verification reference below.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This instruction has been sent to all bank customers on same issued and
is obligatory to follow.



Kind regards
Jayashree C
Co-operative Internet Banking Customer Support


Because email is not a secure form of communication, this email box is not equipped to handle replies.
If you have any questions about your account or need assistance, please call the phone number on your statement
or go to Contact Us at xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

My son works for the Ministry of Justice, and he does work beyond 17:00!

Aha! So that's him! He's the one who stays late to post fake emails! :p

 

Curses! Foiled again!

 

It would appear I am missing out on a source of fun! I use AVG free with the Email filter enabled, I do not get any of these invites!

 

I put this one down to English not being the author's first language but come on. Who are they going to catch with this one?

Dear Santan Member,
SANTANDER ONLINE SECURITY NOTIFICATION

We noticed a violation of our services on your account, this may have occurred due to a viral infection on your computer when you last accessed our online services. For security reasons, we have temporarily

Disabled access to your account until you complete the account restore process..


Click here to restore your account now
We therefore implore you to click on ACCOUNT RESTORE for a better security service
If you choose to ignore our request, you leave us no choice but to temporarily suspend your account.

Thank you for your patience as we work together to protect your account.


This one is supposedly from santanderonlinestore at yourmyaccount.co.uk.

Your my account?? I dont know if he thinks I am a Satanist or Father Christmas by the header on this one. A poor effort compared to some of the others displayed here. How I'll get money out of the account I dont have anyway is beyond me.

Keith

 

This one is supposedly from santanderonlinestore at yourmyaccount.co.uk.

Your my account?? I dont know if he thinks I am a Satanist or Father Christmas by the header on this one. A poor effort compared to some of the others displayed here. How I'll get money out of the account I dont have anyway is beyond me.

Keith

Keith,

Clicking the link will infect your computer allowing him to use it as a zombie bot or it will root your machine giving him full access to any financial and other info you have on your system like stored passwords, unencrypted cookies etc.
This would be a malware attack versus a phishing attack, although the phishing may occur after the link is clicked when you get a form to complete.

Half a$$ed attempt, but there are daft people out there.

Slight difference but just as nasty.
Wayne

 

Wary though I am, I somehow fell for it once not that long ago, although I dont know how. The result was that it used my email address to send all my contacts various email about how I had purchased laptops, shoes, etc from a particular site (which I've never used nor heard of). One of my friends recognised what was happening and told me. I emailed most of my contacts (some had changed their email addresses ages ago and didnt use the one in the contacts list) and told them it wasn't me. I changed my password and security question and the problem was solved. In one sense I was lucky that it was just an annoying commercial thing and nothing horribly malicious. However I dont know what Tesco, West Midlands Police and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre made of it.

One bitten, definitely twice shy.

Keith