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| "Well there's egg
and bacon; egg, sausage and bacon; egg and spam; bacon and spam;
egg, bacon, sausage and spam; spam, bacon, sausage and spam;
spam, egg, spam, spam, bacon and spam; spam, spam, spam,
egg and spam; spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans, spam,
spam, spam and spam; or lobster thermidor aux crevettes with
a mornay sauce garnished with truffle pate', brandy and a fried egg on
top of spam." -- Monty Python's Flying Circus |
Don't Be a Victim of a "Pfishing" Expedition!
If you get an E-Mail from US Bank, Bank One, Verizon, eBay
or other company that asks you to verify your account information,
DON'T DO IT!
These E-Mails appear 'official' and even appear to take you
to an official corporate website, looking just like your bank or
credit card company. Many threaten that your account may be suspended
if you don't comply.
When you get to their site you will be asked to verify your
personal information, account/card number PIN, etc. What is actually
happening is that your information is being sent to the thieves,
often offshore, who will promptly charge items or just clean out
your account.
No Bank, Credit Card Company or other legitimate business
will contact you in this way. If they need to get you to do anything
they will ask via the U.S> Mail, and NOT via E-Mail or over the
net.
Thousands of unsuspecting victims have been scammed by these
'pfishers.'
Here are some samples:
CITIBANK(R)
Dear Citibank Customer:
Recently there have been a large
number computer terrorist attacks over our database server.
In order to safeguard your account, we require that you update
your Citibank ATM/Debit card PIN.
This update is requested of you
as a precautionary measure against fraud. Please note that
we have no particular indications that your details have
been compromised in any way.
This process is mandatory, and
if not completed within the nearest time your account may
be subject to temporary suspension.
Please make sure you have your
Citibank ATM/Debit card and your login details at hand.
To securely update your Citibank
ATM/Debit card PIN please go to:
Customer Verification Form
Please note that this update applies
to your Citibank ATM/Debit card - which is linked directly
to your checking account, not Citibank credit cards.
Thank you for your prompt attention
to this matter and thank you for using Citibank!
Regards,
Customer Support
__________________________________________________________
(C)2004 Citibank. Citibank, N.A., Citibank, F.S.B.,
Citibank (West), FSB. Member FDIC.Citibank and Arc
Design is a registered service mark of Citicorp.
NOTE: When you gho to the
Customer Verification Form, It LOOKS as if you are at Citibank,
but you REALLY Go To an IP Address: 211.158.34.242
This traces back to:
person: Peng Frank
nic-hdl: PF20-AP
e-mail: pengxm@cqnet.com.cn
address: 21/f Dushi Plaza,No.39 Wusi Road Yuzhong Dist. Chongqing
phone: +86-23-69089900-616
fax-no: +86-23-63782270
country: CN
changed: pengxm@cqnet.com.cn 20021128
mnt-by: MAINT-CNNIC-AP
source: APNIC
This is in CHINA (.cn)
|
Dear U.S. Bank Customer,
At U.S. Bank, we take security very seriously.
As many customers already know, Microsoft Internet Explorer
has significant 'holes' or vulnerabilities that virus creators
can easily take advantage of.
At U.S. Bank, we maintain your personal
information and data according to strict standards of security
and confidentiality as described in the Terms and Conditions
that govern your use of this site. Online access to your account
portfolio is only possible through a secure web browser.
In order to further protect your account,
we have introduced some new important security standards and
browser requirements. U.S. Bank security systems require that
your computer system is compatible with our new standards.
This security update will be effective
immediately. Please sign on to U.S. Bank Online Banking in
order to verify security update installation. Failure to do
so may result in your account being compromised.
Sincerely,
The U.S.Bank Security Department Team.
|
| Dear Citibank Member,
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.
This is done for your protection because
some of our members no longer have access to their email address
and we must verify it. This is to prevent any taype of online
fraud.
Citibank is made to protect your identity online.
Click here to verify your e-mail address:
https://www.email.citicards.com (This is NOT the address you get
taken to)
Early Warning
P.O. Box 6000
Hagerstown, MD 21748-6000
(c) 2004 Citibank (South Dakota), N.A.
|
Dear eBay User,
During our regular update and verification of the accounts, we
couldn't verify your current information. Either your information
has changed or it is incomplete.
Please update and verify your information
by signing in your account below :
If the account information is not updated to current information
within 5 days then, your access to bid or buy on eBay will be restricted.
go to this link below:
http://www.ebay.com/?dll87443%2213 (Also a Bogus Link)
***Please Do Not Reply To This E-Mail
As You Will Not Receive A Response***
Thank you
Accounts Managent
As outlined in our User Agreement, eBay will periodically send
you information about site changes and enhancements. Visit our
Privacy Policy and User Agreement if you have any questions.
Copyright 2004 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective
owners.
eBay and the eBay logo are trademarks of eBay Inc
Copyright © 1995-2004 eBay
Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands
are the property of their respective owners.
|
|
State legislatures have been enacting anti-spam laws since 1997.
Here's a summary of the states with anti-spam laws on the books, from Spamlaws.com. |
Vicomsoft has published an interesting and informative document
designed to raise awareness about Spam and offer practical solutions
to email users. This is an excellent tutorial on UCE, Spam Filters, terminology
and the methods used by spammers. Lots of handy tips to help you slow
the flood.
See: KnowledgeShare
- Spam, Anti Spam Software and Anti Spam Techniques |
| The Nigerian Money Letter
Just Won't Die! |
The typical storyline is that the sender has stashed
away a huge wad of cash, but needs a foreign bank account
through which to funnel it. If the recipient of the letter
would kindly provide their own account number, they can
be assured a huge reward. The scam -- which usually results
in some sucker getting their bank account cleaned out
or having to pay 'up-front' fees to release the alleged
funds -- has been around since before the dawn of the
Internet. Total estimated cost to gullible Americans,
over 100 Million.
But if recent tallies of spam complaints are any indication,
perpetrators of the well-known fraud are changing their
tactics. Fraud experts say the scam is too famous to
work in its original form.
It is estimated that this scam is the third largest "industry" in
Nigeria.
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|
Before you forward a message to 'everyone you know,' give it
the 'Sniff Test.' If it smells like SPAM, it probably is.
- Why would anyone pay you to forward E-mail?
- Wouldn't the phone company send out an important announcement
to their subscribers with their bill? They certainly wouldn't rely
on people circulating an E-mail message to broadcast it.
- There is no proposed tax on E-mail, and there never was.
The Postal Service and the FCC have no authority to do so.
- You will NOT be paid $231 a Month for reading 20 E-Mails.
This is a scam to harvest the E-Mail addresses of suckers so you
will be deluged with even more SPAM.
- Regardless of how they quote postal regulations, chain letters
are illegal. The fact that you are distributing some kind of bogus
mailing list or other 'stuff' doesn't make them so.
- Nobody from Nigeria is going to deposit any money in your
bank account.
- No matter how many times you forward an E-Mail, it won't
automatically trigger some nifty video.
- Bill Gates, Walt Disney, Sony, Sega, Intel, Microsoft and
the like WILL NOT PAY YOU, give you a camcorder, Disneyland tickets,
Palm Pilots or whatever for forwarding some silly bogus E-Mail message.
- No foundation is going to donate money to a dying child if
you forward an E-Mail
- Nobody has awakened in a bathtub of ice after someone stole
their kidney.
- You Did NOT Win the Afro-European Lottery!
- If it says "Send This to Everyone You Know," DON'T!
Before you fall for the scam, check it out at one
of the links below.
|
|
See Also: Internet Etiquette - How to
avoid irritating your friends.
|
|
Selected References
|
 |
Learn about computer virus myths, hoaxes, urban
legends, hysteria, and the implications if you believe in them at vMyths.com.
You can also search a list of computer virus hoaxes from A to Z. |
|
| Urban Legends Reference Page |
| |
Considered the best resource on Urban Legends, also maintains a "Currently
Circulating" page allowing you to view hoaxes and urban legends currently
spreading across the internet.
It classifies legends as true, false, or unknown, and provides sources
for the information.
|
| Hoaxbusters Home Page |
| |
CIAC and the Department of Energy host this page with hints to help
identify hoaxes that often come through Usenet groups, or by email.
It also includes a section on currently circulating hoaxes, and what
to do if you receive a message that is a hoax.
|
| alt.spam
FAQ or "Figuring Out Fake Email and Posts" |
| |
A FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) dealing with how to identify SPAM,
how to report it to the proper authorities, and keep SPAM from affecting
you. There are also definitions and links to online resources.
|
| CAUCE - Coalition Against Unsolicited
Commercial Email |
| |
CAUCE, The Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email is an ad
hoc, all volunteer organization, created by Netizens to advocate for
a legislative solution to the problem of UCE (aka "spam").
|
| The
Net Abuse FAQ |
| |
The authority when it comes to SPAM and Usenet abuse. From basic definitions
and the purpose of the net.abuse newsgroup, to technical questions about
what to do as an administrator.
|
| Additional Assorted Information |
|
Top of This Page
|
| Places to Report Spam,
Fraud and Abuse of All Kinds |
|
Note: include a copy of the e-mail or posting with full headers
with your complaint.
Top of This Page
|
|
Webguardian -
For complaints about commercial Internet transactions
|
| Computer Crime |
- Computer
Almanac - Numbers About Computers
- Computer
Crime and Legal Resource Directory
- Computer
Crime Laws by State
- Computer
Security, Law and Crime
- Computer
Security, Viruses and Hackers
- CPSR's
Home Page (Computer Professionals for Social
Responsibility
- CYBER-RIGHTS
AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE: LEGAL RESOURCES ON THE WEB
- EICAR combines
universities, Industry and media plus security and legal experts
from civil and military government organisations whose objectives
is to unite non-commercial efforts against computer crime, inclusive
toll fraud, writing and proliferation of malicious code like computer
viruses or Trojan Horses and the misuse of computers or networks,
based on a code of conduct.
- FindLaw:
Cyberspace Law: WWW Sites and Other Internet Resources
- Freedom
Magazine: A Crime By Any Other Name... The information superhighway
has its share of outlaws. And although the popular notion of computer
crime may be of harmless youngsters hacking into their high school
grades, cyberspace is the scene of virtually every level of unlawful
activity, from procurement of prostitutes to securities fraud,
from child pornography to industrial espionage.
- Legal
Cases Involving the Internet
- ICSA
- Computer Security Association
- Police
Operations Page
- RISKS-LIST:
RISKS-FORUM Digest
- Stolen
Computer Registry
- The
Electronic Frontier Foundation is a non-profit civil liberties
organization working in the publicinterest to protect privacy,
free expression, and access to public resources and information
online, aswell as to promote responsibility in new media.
- Computer
Crime Research Resources Florida State University
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Top of This Page
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Copyright © 1995-2005 by T. S. Eggleston
