Posted by The Real Bev on July 19, 2011, 11:36 am
Laughable phishing expedition:
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Google Email Verification
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 04:20:58 -0700
To: accounts.support@gmail.com
We make every effort to ensure that we provide the Ultimate Security
required for maximum protection because we are detecting unusual
activity on some user account, we have decided to protect each account
with a user account control to protect user privacy and make sure each
user account is not accessed unauthorised.
Full Names :
Username:
Current Password :
Date of Birth:
State/Country :
Please answer each question as thoroughly and accurately as possible,
Your detailed answers will help us ensure that only you get access to
your account. In an effort to protect your privacy and keep your
information secure, if we detect unusual activity on the account, we may
disable it.
Thank you for using our email service!
Posted by Michael Black on July 19, 2011, 1:20 pm
On Tue, 19 Jul 2011, The Real Bev wrote:
> Laughable phishing expedition:
But it actually works.
I think I mentioned it before, a couple of years ago on a CBC radio show
here in Canada (a show about "technology"), they had a producer on who
talked about having problems. They go on and fuss and fuss and make it
sound like some horrible thing, and then halfway through, the producer
admits to responding to an email such as you posted below. There was
nothing special about the case, some idiot fell for it and the rest of the
dominoes tumbled. The story started out sounding like someone had somehow
gotten into her gmail account; yes they had, because she gave them the
information.
It does become dangerous. When email was something you collected from a
server, there was a limit on how much information could be seen in the
event someone got access to it. But once you leave it on the server, and
given the way email is used nowadays, you can reveal an awful lot, which
then allows someone to hijack other things in your life if they want.
Order from some mail order, whoops "internet" company, and they'll likely
send you email with your address, maybe other pertinent information. Tell
your friends you are going away, and hey, the one reading the email knows
it too and knows your address. If you use your gmail in the sort of
routine way that so many people do, then all kinds of informaton is
there. I imagine gmail may even make it easier, no reason to look through
all the email stored there, look at the associated ads for clues to what's
in the email.
Of course, a sort of related twist is giving away the wrong email address.
Last spring, I suddenly got some email from someone I don't know on a
gmail account I used for one specific purpose. It wasn't spam, it was
someone thanking someone for doing something. A glitch, but then it kept
happening. I get an invoice from a signpainter, then old navy starts
sending me email. Initially I thought gmail had a problem, two email
addresses that weren't distinct enough for gmail to differentiate between.
But no, finally I get an invoice, and it includes some older invoices,
that had been sent to an almost identical gmail address. Either the owner
of the account wsa giving out the wrong address, or people were routinely
putting in the wrong address, and I'd get it occasional. It almost seemed
to be a combination, since the invoicer garbled, but someone added the
gmail address to old navy. I was kind of hoping I'd get some interesting
email out of it, interesting as in "risque".
Michael
> > --------
Original Message -------- > Subject: Google Email Verification
> Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 04:20:58 -0700
> To: accounts.support@gmail.com
> We make every effort to ensure that we provide the Ultimate Security
> required for maximum protection because we are detecting unusual
> activity on some user account, we have decided to protect each account
> with a user account control to protect user privacy and make sure each
> user account is not accessed unauthorised.
> Full Names :
> Username:
> Current Password :
> Date of Birth:
> State/Country :
> Please answer each question as thoroughly and accurately as possible,
> Your detailed answers will help us ensure that only you get access to
> your account. In an effort to protect your privacy and keep your
> information secure, if we detect unusual activity on the account, we may
> disable it.
> Thank you for using our email service!
Posted by The Real Bev on July 19, 2011, 3:42 pm
On 07/19/11 10:20, Michael Black wrote:
> Of course, a sort of related twist is giving away the wrong email address.
> Last spring, I suddenly got some email from someone I don't know on a
> gmail account I used for one specific purpose. It wasn't spam, it was
> someone thanking someone for doing something. A glitch, but then it kept
> happening. I get an invoice from a signpainter, then old navy starts
> sending me email. Initially I thought gmail had a problem, two email
> addresses that weren't distinct enough for gmail to differentiate between.
> But no, finally I get an invoice, and it includes some older invoices,
> that had been sent to an almost identical gmail address. Either the owner
> of the account wsa giving out the wrong address, or people were routinely
> putting in the wrong address, and I'd get it occasional. It almost seemed
> to be a combination, since the invoicer garbled, but someone added the
> gmail address to old navy. I was kind of hoping I'd get some interesting
> email out of it, interesting as in "risque".
I've got similar email for the last two years or so -- intended for at
least a two or three dozen people who aren't me but who have given my
address to others. I generally tell the sender that the person who gave
them that address is an idiot or a fraud and they need to be careful. I
really HOPE I've caused some jerks some trouble, but probably not.
I should probably just abandon that address, but goddammit it's MINE and
I've had it ever since gmail started.
Maybe I should just write a short explanation to attach to each one and
forward them to the FBI or Homeland Security...
--
Cheers, Bev
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Don't tax me. Don't tax thee. Tax that man behind the tree.
Posted by Annie Woughman on July 19, 2011, 10:16 pm
> On 07/19/11 10:20, Michael Black wrote:
>> Of course, a sort of related twist is giving away the wrong email
>> address.
>> Last spring, I suddenly got some email from someone I don't know on a
>> gmail account I used for one specific purpose. It wasn't spam, it was
>> someone thanking someone for doing something. A glitch, but then it kept
>> happening. I get an invoice from a signpainter, then old navy starts
>> sending me email. Initially I thought gmail had a problem, two email
>> addresses that weren't distinct enough for gmail to differentiate
>> between.
>> But no, finally I get an invoice, and it includes some older invoices,
>> that had been sent to an almost identical gmail address. Either the
>> owner
>> of the account wsa giving out the wrong address, or people were routinely
>> putting in the wrong address, and I'd get it occasional. It almost
>> seemed
>> to be a combination, since the invoicer garbled, but someone added the
>> gmail address to old navy. I was kind of hoping I'd get some interesting
>> email out of it, interesting as in "risque".
> I've got similar email for the last two years or so -- intended for at
> least a two or three dozen people who aren't me but who have given my
> address to others. I generally tell the sender that the person who gave
> them that address is an idiot or a fraud and they need to be careful. I
> really HOPE I've caused some jerks some trouble, but probably not.
> I should probably just abandon that address, but goddammit it's MINE and
> I've had it ever since gmail started.
> Maybe I should just write a short explanation to attach to each one and
> forward them to the FBI or Homeland Security...
Several years ago, back when dial-up internet was the only game in town, I
also had my computer set up to receive faxes. One day I got a fax from a
local business that seemed to be sending their employee information (names,
addresses, SS#'s, birthdates, phone #'s, etc.) to their health insurance
company. I called the business and told them they obviously had the wrong
fax number and then I deleted the file. Can you imagine what someone could
have done with that info?
Posted by Bill Gill on July 20, 2011, 9:25 am
On 7/19/2011 12:20 PM, Michael Black wrote:
> On Tue, 19 Jul 2011, The Real Bev wrote:
>> Laughable phishing expedition:
>>
> But it actually works.
> I think I mentioned it before, a couple of years ago on a CBC radio show
> here in Canada (a show about "technology"), they had a producer on who
> talked about having problems. They go on and fuss and fuss and make it
> sound like some horrible thing, and then halfway through, the producer
> admits to responding to an email such as you posted below. There was
> nothing special about the case, some idiot fell for it and the rest of
> the dominoes tumbled. The story started out sounding like someone had
> somehow gotten into her gmail account; yes they had, because she gave
> them the information.
> It does become dangerous. When email was something you collected from a
> server, there was a limit on how much information could be seen in the
> event someone got access to it. But once you leave it on the server, and
> given the way email is used nowadays, you can reveal an awful lot, which
> then allows someone to hijack other things in your life if they want.
> Order from some mail order, whoops "internet" company, and they'll
> likely send you email with your address, maybe other pertinent
> information. Tell your friends you are going away, and hey, the one
> reading the email knows it too and knows your address. If you use your
> gmail in the sort of routine way that so many people do, then all kinds
> of informaton is there. I imagine gmail may even make it easier, no
> reason to look through all the email stored there, look at the
> associated ads for clues to what's in the email.
> Of course, a sort of related twist is giving away the wrong email address.
> Last spring, I suddenly got some email from someone I don't know on a
> gmail account I used for one specific purpose. It wasn't spam, it was
> someone thanking someone for doing something. A glitch, but then it kept
> happening. I get an invoice from a signpainter, then old navy starts
> sending me email. Initially I thought gmail had a problem, two email
> addresses that weren't distinct enough for gmail to differentiate
> between. But no, finally I get an invoice, and it includes some older
> invoices, that had been sent to an almost identical gmail address.
> Either the owner of the account wsa giving out the wrong address, or
> people were routinely putting in the wrong address, and I'd get it
> occasional. It almost seemed to be a combination, since the invoicer
> garbled, but someone added the gmail address to old navy. I was kind of
> hoping I'd get some interesting email out of it, interesting as in
> "risque".
> Michael
> > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Google Email
> Verification
>> Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 04:20:58 -0700
>> To: accounts.support@gmail.com
>>
>> We make every effort to ensure that we provide the Ultimate Security
>> required for maximum protection because we are detecting unusual
>> activity on some user account, we have decided to protect each account
>> with a user account control to protect user privacy and make sure each
>> user account is not accessed unauthorised.
>>
>> Full Names :
>> Username:
>> Current Password :
>> Date of Birth:
>> State/Country :
>>
>> Please answer each question as thoroughly and accurately as possible,
>> Your detailed answers will help us ensure that only you get access to
>> your account. In an effort to protect your privacy and keep your
>> information secure, if we detect unusual activity on the account, we
>> may disable it.
>>
>> Thank you for using our email service!
>>
Well, Just the other day I got an email from a friends gmail account.
It seems she was stuck in London because she had been robbed.
Apparently it was one of her split personality days. Because when I
called her at home she answered the phone in Oklahoma. She said
that she hardly used that account any more, so I guess somebody
hacked into it.
Bill
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