Venditoris: Beware of Scams

Here’s an email that came recently, not addressed to anyone specifically. Clearly it is a mass mailed email to a list, probably purchased, by the phisher, from a source of supposedly “gullible” spam leads. (I wonder who got taken more, the Phisher or some as yet unrevealed bodkin on the list.)

Don’t be a plum gullible sucker! If you get an unbelievable email even if addressed directly to you, sink it in the spam pool quickly with the other junk emails!

Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2008
From: “Barrister Charles Arrand”
Subject:Charles Arrand Partner

Charles Arrand Partner
DLA Piper UK LLP
Victoria Square House, Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4DL, England.
Direct Tel: +44-nnn-nnn-nnnn

Good Day,

This is a personal email directed to you and I request that it be treated as such. I am Barrister Charles Arrand, a solicitor at law.

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Below is an actual email letter. It’s short & sweet and aimed to trap an unwitting person into responding to a website other than a bank’s actual website.

We haven’t gone there, but are willing to believe that the phisher or scammer (probably both) has set up a web page to look very much like the bank’s actual website and will do something that doesn’t sound sinister, but actually is, like asking you to verify something.

When you log in you give the scammer your actual login information which then enables them to go to the real site for the bank, log in as you and transfer your assets to another bank where they can then withdraw it, or something similar.
Bottom line:THEY STEAL YOUR MONEY AND MAYBE YOUR IDENTITY

NOTE: You can block some of the sites, like the one in the letter below by downloading the free Netcraft anti-phishing toolbar from Netcraft.com (CLICK HERE)

Dear TD Banknorth Treasury Management customer,

Security and confidentiality are at the heart of the TD Banknorth. Your details (and your money) is protected by a number of technologies, including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
We would like to notify you that TD Banknorth Commercial carries out customer details confirmation procedure that is compulsory for all TD Banknorth Commercial customers. This procedure is attributed to a routine banking software update.

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Have you received a notice like this (even with your name or email address included)?
Did you think it was legit?
What was your first, correct clue?

(Not that you were loved anonymously, not that you were incredibly lucky, not that didn’t recall buying a ticket)

It clearly is a spamming email designed to get you to respond so that the spammer can turn into a scammer or worse, a thief!

(He or she probably already is one -so don’t feel bad: you didn’t tempt them to steal from you; they were predisposed to break any number of US and International laws just by sending you the email.)

Your best response?

Feel good that you recognized it as a spam letter, for whatever reason, and that you promptly sent it to that black hole in cyberspace called “Delete”.

From: “evi johnson”
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU HAVE WON
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:21:13 +0200
WININNIG Reference Number: nn/nn/nn/nn/nn/n/n

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