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Scams

by Mike Masnick

Mon, Nov 21st 2005 4:09pm





The Cost Of Responding To Lame Phishing Attempts

from the got-to-respond dept

Odd timing on this one. I literally had just received a scam email, claiming to be from the FBI, saying that my IP had been logged on 30 different illegal websites, and demanding (with an exclamation point!) that I answer the attached questions. I laughed at this rather lame attempt at either phishing or passing on some kind of malware, deleted it and went back to work... where the first thing I saw was a warning from the FBI saying that these things are going around and they're not at all real. This raises one of the annoying costs not often discussed when it comes to these types of phishing attacks: the effort the original company or organization has to make to assure everyone they're not really involved. The problem is, while most folks around here would recognize such an email immediately as a scam -- there are plenty who wouldn't. Thus, the FBI has to waste time coming out with a response to it and getting the news spread widely.

7 Comments | Leave a Comment

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  1.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Nov 21st, 2005 @ 5:17pm

    It's a variant of the Sober worm...

    I'm sure someone has already said this, but that was a worm that you had in your inbox...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Nov 21st, 2005 @ 5:48pm

    No Subject Given

    http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/fraudschemes.htm

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    identicon
    Chris, Nov 21st, 2005 @ 6:29pm

    No Subject Given

    I've been getting worms coming through pretending to be from Microsoft. They look very real and the English is accurate enough to make a novice believe it is real.

    Then again, MS isn't kind enough to email 158KB critical updates as they become available. :)

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    Diane Vigil, Nov 22nd, 2005 @ 4:39am

    That raises the question ...

    That raises the question, though. I don't recall seeing a warning from the FBI, nor have I heard of one. Not saying everything that happens crosses my desk ... but how is it that you got a phishing email, then a warning from the FBI?

    Maybe it's not odd; I just find it curious.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    Howard, Nov 22nd, 2005 @ 5:37am

    FBI warning was on national news

    The FBI warning has been broadcast on national news. I heard it on a local radio station this morning.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    identicon
    STJ, Nov 22nd, 2005 @ 9:42am

    No Subject Given

    I work for an online money transaction company and litterally talk to 30 people per day who call in saying they get these e-mails. I have about 2 a day who respond and give up their information they have with us and 1 person who gives up everything(SSN, credit card, bank account). Of course, after they hit the submit key, they realize it wasn't us.. Yea, right.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  
    icon
    Mike (profile), Nov 22nd, 2005 @ 9:51am

    Re: That raises the question ...

    That raises the question, though. I don't recall seeing a warning from the FBI, nor have I heard of one. Not saying everything that happens crosses my desk ... but how is it that you got a phishing email, then a warning from the FBI?

    The story was picked up by plenty of news organizations. Since a big part of my job is reading the news, I saw it as I was reading the headlines.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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