Phishing or Fishing scammers continue to prowl. They attempt to get your personal information or - scary - your bank and other secure access data. The perpetrators do it by developing emails and websites that have the look of authenticity, but are actually copycat fronts or stages designed to extract your valuable information.
The sad reality is, many fall prey unwittingly to these scams, and people suffer loss as a consequence. I am therefore writing this to help you avoid being victimized, and also for perpetrators to hopefully reconsider their actions, before it is too late.
Sample Phishing Email.
This email at first glance looks genuinely from Yahoo!. Note the air of concern that may cause you to feel indebted, as well as a clear statement of urgency, demanding you take immediate action. This version of the letter is a "Final warning" since no earlier actions were done by the recipient, and this email had been sent repeatedly.
Here are the words of the email:
----------------------- Start of sample mail -----------------------
Dear User
We detected a login attempt with valid password to your Yahoo! account from unusual Location: Nigeria (IP=41.71.nnn.nn)[Link deactivated here],
Note: The location is based on information from your Internet service or wireless carrier provider.
For safety reasons we have Placed Your Account under monitoring. And your account will be Terminated in the next 24 hour, else you Re-verify Your \account below, and help control spam and fraud activities.
Click here to Re-verify your password (Link deactivated here)
Thank you,
Yahoo! Mail Team
----------------------- End of sample mail -----------------------
Three tips to identify the Phishing Mail:
There are a number of hints this email is not official, but I will not state them here lest I end up coaching the schemers. I can give you three tips though:
1. Your bank or email carrier will NEVER ask you for your PIN or PASSWORD unless you are in the initial set-up mode, or you are making a transaction that YOU INITIATED. Asking you to verify or re-verify your password is a nice euphemism for asking your password. Don't fall for this.
2. If you receive an email with the exact words as the sample above, or very similar to the sample above, just trash it. This is a known phishing email. There are others that we'll all need to be smart to detect, but this one above - when you receive it, delete it.
3. Check the senders email address. It there is a disconnect, that's a giveaway that it's not official. in this case,the Yahoo! Security Service team nicely has a gmail.com address. Sweet!
Armed with just the three tips above, delete any phishing email you get. Don't click any of the links to investigate! And definitely don't enter your user name and password!
What's so bad if they get my email password anyway?
A. Personal information is powerful! So you need to protect it. You may think you have nothing to hide in your emails, but you may have passed on bank or credit card information (which you shouldn't have), and personal information that some banks still use to verify identity on phone transactions. E.g. Banks used to ask for your Parents names, your address or your birthday to verify identity. Progressive banks now ask your last transaction, and what your account balance is. This is a safer and more effective way to validate identity, and all banks should be doing this.
B. In the hands of a schemer, your email could be used to steal money from people in your contact list - family, friends! See this sample letter from a hacked email account asking for help.
----------------------- Start of sample mail -----------------------
I'm writing this message to you with sadness. I traveled to London, United Kingdom for a short vacation and unfortunately for me, I was mugged at a knife point last night at the park of the hotel where i lodged and all cash, credit cards and cell phone were all stolen from me, I have reported the robbery to the police but they are yet to find the muggers. My flight will leaves tomorrow and i am having problems paying my hotel bills.
The hotel manager won't let me leave until i settle the bills Please, I need a loan from you to return back home and i want you to get back to me if you can help.
----------------------- End of sample mail -----------------------
I personally received this email and I responded to try and verify my friend's story, asking him specific things only my friend would know. And the hacker responded! His reply excluded responses to my questions, and were general, as shown below:
----------------------- Start of sample mail -----------------------
Glad you replied back, l know this sounds weird and you wouldn't believe me, this message may be coming to you as a surprise but I need your help.Few days back I made an unannounced vacation trip to London,United Kingdom. I have nothing left on me right now and i am lucky to have my life and passports with me, it would have been worst if they had made away with my passports, i have been to the Embassy all they could do was help me reschedule my return flight ticket, i will appreciate your help and please get back to me if you can help me with some cash and promise to refund it as soon as am back.
Thanks
----------------------- End of sample mail -----------------------
I had confirmed separately that the mail was a hoax. Also, a very similar incident happened to another friend, so we knew about this scheme already. If you receive the same email from a friend - don't fall for it.
Here was my final letter to the guy, to which I no longer received a response:
I already know this is a hoax mail, so I won't send any money.
However, here is something more valuable than money. A Bible golden chapter - Psalm 1.
This might help to save you from an eternity (ie no ending) of suffering in the lake of fire and brimstone, the second death. It would be wise to start reading and following God's word.
Cheers.
Psalm 1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD , And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalms 1:1-6 NASB)
Now perhaps you've been victimized, or maybe you've not even encountered anything like this before, or maybe you're involved in phishing scams. Each one is different. But each one is also the same, in that all will face death. And judgement. Whether you believe it or not.
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, (Hebrews 9:27 NASB)
After physical death, there is a second death!
But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8 NASB)
The enemy of our soul seeks to steal, kill and destroy. Those who want to steal, may succeed in doing so, but at the peril of their souls, unless they change. It's not yet too late. Or maybe you're at the opposite end and you've been victimized. You may think you're not too bad, that you're "good enough", but you don't know Jesus personally and you don't know about the second death. Jesus said that He came to give an abundant life.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 NASB)
If you believe, receive and follow Jesus (this is true belief, not just intellectual assent), then you will be saved from the second death!
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18 NASB)
Read the book of John to find out more!
That's it for now.
PS. The Book of Revelations talk about the new Heaven having streets of gold! Gold will be so abundant it will merely be tread upon, and it will be so pure that it reflects like glass!
So... Let's NOT settle for Earthly gold! It's like wanting to fill our vaults with concrete!
Let's look to the future.
"Live for the Line!"
Stay safe!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The sad reality is, many fall prey unwittingly to these scams, and people suffer loss as a consequence. I am therefore writing this to help you avoid being victimized, and also for perpetrators to hopefully reconsider their actions, before it is too late.
Sample Phishing Email.
This email at first glance looks genuinely from Yahoo!. Note the air of concern that may cause you to feel indebted, as well as a clear statement of urgency, demanding you take immediate action. This version of the letter is a "Final warning" since no earlier actions were done by the recipient, and this email had been sent repeatedly.
Here are the words of the email:
----------------------- Start of sample mail -----------------------
Dear User
We detected a login attempt with valid password to your Yahoo! account from unusual Location: Nigeria (IP=41.71.nnn.nn)[Link deactivated here],
Note: The location is based on information from your Internet service or wireless carrier provider.
For safety reasons we have Placed Your Account under monitoring. And your account will be Terminated in the next 24 hour, else you Re-verify Your \account below, and help control spam and fraud activities.
Click here to Re-verify your password (Link deactivated here)
Thank you,
Yahoo! Mail Team
----------------------- End of sample mail -----------------------
Three tips to identify the Phishing Mail:
There are a number of hints this email is not official, but I will not state them here lest I end up coaching the schemers. I can give you three tips though:
1. Your bank or email carrier will NEVER ask you for your PIN or PASSWORD unless you are in the initial set-up mode, or you are making a transaction that YOU INITIATED. Asking you to verify or re-verify your password is a nice euphemism for asking your password. Don't fall for this.
2. If you receive an email with the exact words as the sample above, or very similar to the sample above, just trash it. This is a known phishing email. There are others that we'll all need to be smart to detect, but this one above - when you receive it, delete it.
3. Check the senders email address. It there is a disconnect, that's a giveaway that it's not official. in this case,the Yahoo! Security Service team nicely has a gmail.com address. Sweet!
Armed with just the three tips above, delete any phishing email you get. Don't click any of the links to investigate! And definitely don't enter your user name and password!
What's so bad if they get my email password anyway?
A. Personal information is powerful! So you need to protect it. You may think you have nothing to hide in your emails, but you may have passed on bank or credit card information (which you shouldn't have), and personal information that some banks still use to verify identity on phone transactions. E.g. Banks used to ask for your Parents names, your address or your birthday to verify identity. Progressive banks now ask your last transaction, and what your account balance is. This is a safer and more effective way to validate identity, and all banks should be doing this.
B. In the hands of a schemer, your email could be used to steal money from people in your contact list - family, friends! See this sample letter from a hacked email account asking for help.
----------------------- Start of sample mail -----------------------
I'm writing this message to you with sadness. I traveled to London, United Kingdom for a short vacation and unfortunately for me, I was mugged at a knife point last night at the park of the hotel where i lodged and all cash, credit cards and cell phone were all stolen from me, I have reported the robbery to the police but they are yet to find the muggers. My flight will leaves tomorrow and i am having problems paying my hotel bills.
The hotel manager won't let me leave until i settle the bills Please, I need a loan from you to return back home and i want you to get back to me if you can help.
----------------------- End of sample mail -----------------------
I personally received this email and I responded to try and verify my friend's story, asking him specific things only my friend would know. And the hacker responded! His reply excluded responses to my questions, and were general, as shown below:
----------------------- Start of sample mail -----------------------
Glad you replied back, l know this sounds weird and you wouldn't believe me, this message may be coming to you as a surprise but I need your help.Few days back I made an unannounced vacation trip to London,United Kingdom. I have nothing left on me right now and i am lucky to have my life and passports with me, it would have been worst if they had made away with my passports, i have been to the Embassy all they could do was help me reschedule my return flight ticket, i will appreciate your help and please get back to me if you can help me with some cash and promise to refund it as soon as am back.
Thanks
----------------------- End of sample mail -----------------------
I had confirmed separately that the mail was a hoax. Also, a very similar incident happened to another friend, so we knew about this scheme already. If you receive the same email from a friend - don't fall for it.
Here was my final letter to the guy, to which I no longer received a response:
I already know this is a hoax mail, so I won't send any money.
However, here is something more valuable than money. A Bible golden chapter - Psalm 1.
This might help to save you from an eternity (ie no ending) of suffering in the lake of fire and brimstone, the second death. It would be wise to start reading and following God's word.
Cheers.
Psalm 1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD , And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalms 1:1-6 NASB)
Now perhaps you've been victimized, or maybe you've not even encountered anything like this before, or maybe you're involved in phishing scams. Each one is different. But each one is also the same, in that all will face death. And judgement. Whether you believe it or not.
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, (Hebrews 9:27 NASB)
After physical death, there is a second death!
But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8 NASB)
The enemy of our soul seeks to steal, kill and destroy. Those who want to steal, may succeed in doing so, but at the peril of their souls, unless they change. It's not yet too late. Or maybe you're at the opposite end and you've been victimized. You may think you're not too bad, that you're "good enough", but you don't know Jesus personally and you don't know about the second death. Jesus said that He came to give an abundant life.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 NASB)
If you believe, receive and follow Jesus (this is true belief, not just intellectual assent), then you will be saved from the second death!
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18 NASB)
Read the book of John to find out more!
That's it for now.
PS. The Book of Revelations talk about the new Heaven having streets of gold! Gold will be so abundant it will merely be tread upon, and it will be so pure that it reflects like glass!
So... Let's NOT settle for Earthly gold! It's like wanting to fill our vaults with concrete!
Let's look to the future.
"Live for the Line!"
Stay safe!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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