Between the 29th of September and today, I have received six separate e-scams urging that I disclose a variety of personal financial data to “recognized” agencies . . . well, all but one one appears “responsible”, as you will see.
Because these came in such quick succession it suggests to me that this is the scam-of-choice right now and we would be well advised to alert friends who may not be as savvy as might be desirable about these execrable characters preying (probably) on innocent (and gullible) and inexperienced elders.
In every instance I have attempted to follow-up with the company that is “implicated”, to inform them, should they be interested/endeavoring to follow-up. Those “results” are instructive, too, so I’ll add a note on the more interesting ones.
The baldest/boldest from, ostensibly CitiBank demanded . . .
This email was sent by the Citibank server to verify your e-mail address. You must complete this process by clicking on the link below and entering in the small window your Citibank ATM/Debit Card number and PIN that you use on ATM. This is done for your protection because (sic) some of our members no longer have access to their email addresses and we must verify it.
Oh suuuure!
Then there is this little number from Earthlink, with orange logo, copyright and everything, telling me that . . .
Recently we attempted to authorize payment from your credit card we have on file for you, but it was declined.
For security purposes, our system automatically removes credit card information from an account when there is a problem or the card expires.
Please resubmit the credit card, and provide us with new and complete information. To resubmit credit card information via our secure server, click the following link
Next, up popped “eBay”. Or an unreasonable facsimile thereof, asserting that “it couldn’t verify my information” which would mean that, unless I click-on the link and supplies my information I couldn’t “bid or sell” on eBay.
The next one was merely a virus scam from “Microsoft” urgently instructing me, as follows:
Dear friend, use this Internet Explorer patch now! There are dangerous virus in the Internet now! More than 500.000 already infected!
For sheer creativity, however, this next little puppy takes the prize. Quoting the text really doesn’t do it justice. It was formatted in a formal, multi-color scheme, proclaiming, insistently . . .
Important notice
We have just charged your credit card for money laundry (sic) service in amount of $234.65 (because you are either child pornography webmaster or deal with dirty money, which require us to layndry (sic) them and then send to your checking account).
If you feel this transaction was made by our mistake, please press "No". If you confirm this transaction, please press "Yes" and fill in the form below.
Meaning, of course, choose “No” and they get a valid e-address, or choose “Yes” and then fill-in your cc number plus the card’s expiratiojn date. The latter, a more important piece of datum than most of us may appreciate.
Results of my attempting to report these miscreants:
• CitiBank said, sorta, “Ho hum”, that they’d “lock my account”. Oh thanks!
• EBay has no phone numbers and none of the “fraud” alternatives on its website allowed reporting this kind of scam . . . another form of Ho Hum.
• Earthlink has the most convoluted phone mail branching on the planet. (It should be ashamed of itself). It took 7 phone calls, from numbers on the web site, to get its attention. At least then they were interested in receiving a forwarding of my scam message.
• Microsoft, I thought was “so sweet” to think of me as a “Dear Friend”.
Enough said about my being a money laundryperson!
Each of these “companies”. I note, are in sharp contrast to the prompt, efficient pursuit of a scam message about my PayPal account by that organization, when I reported same a few months ago.
It may not be necessary to review all this here, but it does serve as a reminder to be alert in advising those persons we know who might become prey for these perfidious jerks.
