"Use the below" doesn't sound like normal English.
If I'd noticed that, I would have realized that something was phishy.
Instead, in my usual haste, I clicked on that link when I received an identical e-mail earlier last week. BIG MISTAKE! The first sign of trouble was the sudden disappearance of the contents of every one of our e-mail files (inbox, sent, drafts, spam, trash and contacts). P spent all afternoon recovering everything he could, but we will have to enter each of our e-mail contacts individually.
Soon we began getting phone calls from friends and relatives saying our e-mail had been hacked. A few had received the following weird request that didn't sound like it came from me:
Subject: Await your response
Great to hear from you, please I need you to get a Steam Wallet card for a friend who is down with cancer of the Liver. It's her birthday today and I promised to get it for her, but I can't do this now because I'm currently out of town going to sympathize with another friend of mine who his mom died of heart disease today. All my effort purchasing the card online proved abortive. Could you get it from any store around you today? I'll reimburse you once I return. Please let me know if you can handle this.
I'll be happy to make this possible for my ill friend today.
Other friends/relatives received only this e-mail from the scammer because of a mistake in the spelling of my name in my gmail account:
Did you receive my previous email?
Let me know if you did receive it.
One of our friends thought the e-mail was probably legit until this e-mail turned up in his spam folder the following day:
How are you doing today? Thanks for your help yesterday. I really appreciate it. I know these would sound really stupid but I don't have a choice than to tell you these. I myself would need the Steam card. If you wouldn't be mad at me, would you mind helping me purchase another steam (sic) card for $...? I promise to refund all your $... as soon as I am back but I wouldn't be back today again as my friend is ill due to the loss of his mom. He was being taken to the hospital and I'm here with him. The doctor said he will be fine tomorrow and I'll be back by Sunday.
According to online information, this scam has been around since 2019. Apparently no company would ever ask you to renew your account password by sending you a link like this. Companies either assume you will take the initiative to change your passwords or they provide a secure website for that purpose. We got busy changing all our passwords immediately. The whole episode was creepy.
And P said, never mind love. How were you to know. No problem. I'll fix it.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe P didn't say that.
He didn't yell. He didn't scold. He just dealt with it in his usual calm, unflappable way.
DeleteYikes. What a mess.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm hesitant to click on links in emails. I got an email from Hulu saying my account would be suspended if I didn't log in. I went to the app via my TV. Turned out it was legit, but I still didn't click on the link.
Good luck getting everything sorted.
I actually knew better, but this one fooled me.
DeleteWOW! What a catastrophe. These people NEVER stop trying, so it's easy to be tricked. You may need to get your pc checked to see if they've also planted some kind of virus to track your activities.
ReplyDeleteWe have two Macs, and I thought they were resistant to viruses. I guess not.
DeleteYears ago I clicked on a link without thinking. Lesson learned. Now if I get something in my email instead of clicking any links I go to the website and investigate first.
ReplyDeleteYep, lesson learned.
DeleteI am sorry. What a lot of trouble.
ReplyDeleteI've learned a valuable lesson.
DeleteHackers always seem to be one jump ahead of the game. Thanks for the heads up about this scam! Sorry you got caught in it.
ReplyDeleteThe scammers are clever, gotta give them that.
DeleteI don't understand people you scams other people. Shame on them.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
I agree. Shame on them!! Unfortunately, to them, it's good, clean fun and the people who fall for the scam are "losers."
DeleteMy employer has spent hours trying to teach us how to avoid phishing and other scams, so I’m very aware…is terrible that we have to be so wary, isn’t it?
ReplyDeleteThe Internet is wonderful in so many ways, but it certainly opened up a new playground for the scammers.
DeleteThat is my number one rule to never click on a link that anyone sends to me. Even valid ones. I have been being slammed with these type emails for a couple of years now and it got worse during the pandemic shut down and for some reason I am getting at least five every other day from different banks thanks I've never even heard of telling me that they shut my account down unless I go in and change my password. Sorry you had to go through this and I'm glad you posted it I'm going to share this because people need to know do not click on anything that comes in your email
ReplyDeleteI think the scammers may still be at it. We just received a legitimate-looking e-mail with no link to click on, just asking a simple question. The trouble is: (1) the writer has the name of a relative of a relative (2) why would she be asking us if we ever ordered from Amazon? I am now extra extra cautious and suspicious. Ordinarily, I would have fired off a reply. New mantra: "Not so fast, You."
DeleteI have seen this one before and wondered what it was about now I know
ReplyDeleteIf I can do anything to throw sand in their wheels, I will.
ReplyDelete