posted on July 21, 2003 09:15:26 AM new
The Today Show did a segment this morning on the scam emails showing samples going to Best Buy, Earthlink and Ebay customerrs. Good segment and also a mention that this afternoon the feds will announce their first indictment in a new program to wipeout these "fisher" (apparently the official law enforcement name for them) emails. The first indictment will be against a 17 yr old that was hitting AOL customers and using their credit card numbers to buy electronics for his friends.
The only way this is ever going to be wiped out is with a large scale educational campaign to keep people from being sucked in - the emails themselves will not stop until their are no longer profitable. Government investigations will only send them further off shore.
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If it's really Common Sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on July 21, 2003 10:24:11 AM new
There will always be gullible people out there no matter what you do. As children, we are drilled with things like don't talk to strangers, look both ways when crossing the street, never give a stranger your address or phone number, etc. Those lessons seem to go out the window when we reach adulthood, at least for some.
If a stranger sent you an email asking for your address and phone number would you give to them? If they asked you to go out on a date, would you go? Would you cross a busy highway without watching for cars? No? Then why would you without question, provide a stranger with your passwords? That's what you are doing by clicking on links in emails. If you think the email is legit, go into Ebay THROUGH Ebay and change your password there. Don't do it through an email. How do you know that the link isn't a ruse and really an exe file instead? You know you can name a hyperlink anything you want to. Do you want to be trying to rid yourself of one of the many viruses on the plantet?
Again (for probably the 200th time on this board) - unless the email is from someone you know and trust DO NOT RESPOND TO IT. I'm not only getting the fake Ebay emails, but virus emails as well.
People like my mother, who uses her computer solely for email, are used to getting valid and legitimate emails from friends and from some businesses. Hell, she's been *trained* by repetition to click on links in mail. She has no concept of HTML. No idea that a reference to a link can be totally different from the actual URL. And if she saw ".ph" on the end of a server name (assuming she could even figure out how to view full mail headers) she wouldn't have a friggin' clue what it stands for.
Are you saying the grandmothers of America are stupid and gullible? I wouldn't go there.
I am not a bathtub full of brightly-colored machine tools on Vendio.
posted on July 21, 2003 11:48:53 AM new
fluffythewondercat
I'm not saying that at all. My mother is one of those Internet users. BUT, I did teach her about what to click on and what not to. She's calls me with anything suspicious and never clicks on anything that didn't come from someone she knows. I am mostly referring to the daily "Is this a scam?" threads that all have the same answers to them. And, the same answers that have to be given out time and time again. "Yes it is a scam." "No, don't click on it." "Yes, report it to Ebay."
Grandmother's of America stupid and gullible? Hardly think so. I'm a grandmother. My mother is a great grandmother and I don't think I'd mess with her!
posted on July 21, 2003 12:24:33 PM new
I just got a email from a fellow ebayer that said someone was using my account to send email to other members to get there personal information. She offered to send me a copy but I was afraid to reply.
I went to ebay and used the question forum to contact her but that email was return. Could some be using her ID to get my information?
Thanks
posted on July 21, 2003 12:35:54 PM new
Ladyjewels..Contrary to popular belief,people cannot get your information unless you give it to them.
And "Hacked my account" should not be used when you "Give someone your password"
[ edited by horsey88 on Jul 21, 2003 12:46 PM ]
