Bank scams

[ACE]

What's going on, today so far I must have had at least 15 different banks and credit cards asking me to verify my details. All reported as phishing, although I doubt anybody follows it up. Some banks I have never heard of. But everything is still safe as I have just checked under the mattress and my savings are still there.

I suppose out of a couple of thousand messages somebody falls for it. Why are these messages allowed? Surely they can be traced, after all the government are going to check our online browsing, so they must have a way of checking these lowlifes.

[ACE]

[Chrispy]

What amazes me, is how unconvincing they are, it is vary rare that I have to look twice at one.
I suppose, that if the crooks behind the scams had a bit more initiative then they would not be crooks.

They come from abroard, probably from countries with goverments that are happy for it to go on, I'll have a look and see where my last few have come from.

[Chrispy]

I've only got one email pretending to be a bank since I last cleared out my spam folder, so I have expanded it to all scam emails.

I've checked 3, 2 came from the USA and one from New Zealand, but of course then now use viruses to hijack computers to send the emails so that is meaningless.

Looking at where the links/reply addresses are, one is in China, another the Ukraine and best of all the one that is pretending to be the South African FSA has an address that goes back to Spain.

[ACE]

I do not even have to open the email. I have it in my head if you open it, (not the link/file) they know you are there.

[Chrispy]

Yes, quite possible, but as the phishers don't use their own computers to send the e-mails they don't worry about such things, they are just happy filling the internet with as much of their c*** as they can.

[BarriedaleNick]

Not thousands Ace - millions - tens of millions.  It costs nothing to send an email and it only takes one or two people to fall for it for it to be profitable.
At it's worst my mail server at work shreds 8 out of every 10 emails.  Believe it or not you are probably only seeing a fraction of spam sent out to you - ISPs and mail relays will be blocking (or trying to) know spammers and suspicious mail.

Why isnt anything done?  Well some measures are taken by ISPs and companies like Microsoft and there are various tech solutions but most of this stuff is send out either by infected computers (bot armies) or originates from countries where internationa; cooperation is very limited and a dollar buys you eyes that look the other way..

You cant be traced by opening an email but it's best to delete them anyway..

[ACE]

I use hotmail and they have options with what to do with  my emails 'mark as phishing is one of them, just as quick as deleting, so I always use that tool. Do you think they follow up any of these phishing emails or is it a tool just to make you feel good.

When an email I used to use got highjacked my account was suspended. I did not even have to report it. But I changed to another moniker and opened another account so I do not really know the outcome.

I think registration is far to easy for email accounts. It should be tightened up even to the point of a phone call that can be verified. But as usual the companies take the money and run. Later this month the new cookie regulations come in and not before time. But it is up to us to report infringements not the web masters, who will just let them get on with it.

[ACE]

Good one this morning. A tax rebate, just send my details to redeem ;D

[BarriedaleNick]

Yes strangely about 200 people got the same tax rebate at work last year!!

The report functions probably only get actioned by a machine - adding the address to various suspect lists.  The problem is that if my email is being spoofed to send mail then it isnt really fair to have my email address black listed...
Last month I had an issue and my whole domain got blacklisted by some services which meant that I couldn't send mail to hotmail and others.  To get released I just clicked the "release me" link.  However if I hadn't fixed the source of the issue (one rogue PC) then my domain could have been permanently blacklisted so there are measures in place.

[Digeroo]

My computer was sending out all sorts from my email address about a year ago and in order to stop it I simply had to change the password.  I was rather surprised that such a simply action could be so affective.