Messing with Scammers :)

[Zambini]

I got this in an email today (this one got past the spam filter, the other 15 went straight to gmail's junk folder):

Security & Resolution center




This email was sent automatically by eBay in response to our Fraud Department request to update your profile. This is done for your protection; only you, the recipient of this email can take the next step .
To update your profile and access your account, follow these steps:
1. Click on the link below.
(WARNING FROM ZAM: Dont CLICK THIS LINK)
***Link removed for the safety of others.***
The link will take you to our Profile Update page.
2. Fill in the appropriate fields to update your profile and click Submit. You will then be able to sell and buy using your eBay account.

Thank you,
eBay

So i went to hidemyass.com and flooded their computer with thousands of fake ebay accounts.

and then i realized that they have a webserver set up, so I navigated to
http://203.189.253.130
and now I am prank calling their office in Bangladesh.

I suggest you do the same if you want to have some fun :)

Corporate Office: 
16 Paribagh, Sonargaon  Road,
Hatirpul, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh.
Tel: +880 2 8612402,  8623337
Fax: +880 2 8616955
Email: info@snsbd.net
 
Branch Office:
R Rahman Communication
50 North Road,  Dhanmondhi,
Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.
Tel: +880 2 9672714,  9664721
 

[Blondie]

I got a fake ebay email last week, looked pretty real. I'm in the process of reporting a bunch. Ebay says to forward the message to: spoof@ebay.com

eBay member <members@ebay.com> to me
show details Nov 20 (4 days ago)

Warning: This message may not be from whom it claims to be. Beware of following any links in it or of providing the sender with any personal information. Learn more

Dear eBay Member,

We regret to inform you that your eBay account has been put on-hold due to the violation of our site policy below:

Non-payment of US $26.69 balance on your eBay account.

To be considered for reinstatement of this account, you must pay the US $26.69 balance due immediately.

1. Clik to https://www.ebay.com
2. On the sidebar under the 'My Account' section, click the 'Seller Account' link
3. Select a method to pay your eBay fees

If your account remains past due, your ability to bid and list may be restricted.

[Jokerswild]

I've recieved those before.

[Redleg]

Hell, I get 1 or 2 a week from ebay and paypal. I just do the full header thing, then forward them to spoof@ either ebay or paypal. Which ever they alledgedly came from. Pretty sad people resort to doing things like that, but there is a phish born every minute, and the phishers know it.

Redleg

[Captain Crunch]

Yea I get ebay and paypal alllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the time!!!!!!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Panda Man]

Sounds like you guys are getting data mined. I got one from Bank of America, to my hotmail account, and I have no BoA account

[whitecree]

Ah, they're just like those junk mail catalogues and flyers you get in the physical mail. I don't even look at them or worry about the silly crap. Just toss it in the trash and forget about'em.

Anybody silly enough to fall for crap like that deserves what they get. As any long time con-artist will tell you, you cannot cheat an honest man.

Problem is, there are so few honest men (or women) out there.

[screwballl]

SOME of them are getting very smart with their schemes as well... I have seen some that if you try to enter in a bogus account name/password, it actually dynamically checks that against paypal/ebay and if it IS bogus then it says invalid account, when you enter in a real account THEN it goes to the "update account information" page asking for credit card and banking information but also checks this as well to see if the information is bogus. I had setup a specific account for this reason on each site (change password of course each time after filling that info out).
for the "dumb" fake sites I just bombard it with a few dozen fake accounts and have fun with them...

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by whitecree

Anybody silly enough to fall for crap like that deserves what they get.

I strongly disagree with this. Being enthusiasts, or at the very least, computer savvy, it's easy to take our own web/PC experience for granted. As Screwball alluded to, some of these phishing attempts are getting very polished. The ones with misspelled words and terrible grammar are pretty easy for most to weed through, but some do an excellent job of spoofing their origin. For all intents and purposes, the email looks legit at a glance, as does the forwarding link and destination page. Most of us here are both aware of such scams and know how to verify authenticity, but we don't represent the vast userbase out there that couldn't tell you the difference between DDR and DDR2. All of us can probably list at least one family member or friend that falls into this category, if not several (I sure can!).

To say that victims of identify theft deserve what happens is like saying those not savvy with automobile repair deserve to get ripped off by a mechanic, and it also goes against the mission of HardwareLogic. We exist because "Every Enthusiast Starts Somewhere," and that elitist mindset is something we try very hard to avoid.

[Quakindude]

I can think of at least 10 family members "silly" enough to fall for this. Countless friends. Ignorance is bliss, but it's also painful at times. Zambini's post will probably stop at least one person on teh interwebberthingy from clicking a spoofed link in an email.

The best way anyone can help others to prevent this is by keeping their respective browsers up to date. The original link that Zambini had posted, which I removed simply for safety and for the welfare of Capper(read liability), caused FireFox to give me a stern anti-phishing warning.

We can all help each other out by spreading the word to our friends and family to use FF or as up-to-date IE browser as you can stand/tolerate.

Originally Posted by Panda Man

Sounds like you guys are getting data mined. I got one from Bank of America, to my hotmail account, and I have no BoA account

I've received those before too. For accounts that I do have and for accounts at SunBank, which is a Bank in Florida, that I've never had an account with.