Scam or what ?

[sprayer]

I've posted this in *how it works* because I want to know how it works, over the last few weeks I have received loads of emails supposedly from banks and building societies all saying they are updating their systems and to click on the link below, I have often wanted to click the link and answer their questions with complete rubbish but people have told me under no circumstances click the link, Why ??? (by the way I am fairly new to computers)

[kevstar69]

Hi Sprayer listen to your people as they are correct. No bank will never ask you to update your details on-line, This is a scam, to retrieve your details to either wipe out your account or worse, to use your details to obtain credit .this will lead to a lot of debt in your name and organisation's hounding you for bad debt.

[factor-fiction]

I'm sure sprayer realises that it would be foolish to revealher account details- the question asked is what could be the implications of entering rubbish info.

I suggest there is no point in entering rubbish info. It's hardly going to cause the scammers to give up on the scam.

At best it will alert the scammers to the fact that this is a live email address. At worst I wonder if it could set up some sort of keystroke logger to log you keystrokes so they can detect your bank details at a later date

[VHG]

These emails are known as Phishing emails.

The criminals who send these out usually set up a "dummy" web site that LOOKS like an official web site (a bank, ebay, paypal or whatever).

If you click on the hyperlink in the email it will take you to this "dummy" site (which you think is the REAL site) and you are then expected to logon with your userid and password.

Once you do that they "capture" your userid and password, use it to logon to the PROPER site, and then steal all your money, or get your bank details or credit card details.

It is a good idea NEVER to click on a link in an email.

Also, NEVER reply to one of these emails asking to be taken off their distribution list. This just confirms your email is live and means you get MORE spam.

[VHG]

If you are fairly new to computers, some general advice

If you ARE getting a lot of these emails you may need to think carefully who you give your email address out to, and where you post it on the internet.

If you are happy to post your emal address on all sorts of forums and web sites then you are leaving yourself open to getting lots of spam.

There are people who have computer programs that scour the internet looking for emal addresses to add to their list of known addresses.

These lists of addresses are then sold on to spammers and criminals, and then used to send out bulk spam emails.

If you ARE gettng a lot of spam methinks you are putting your email address in too many places.

IF you need to put you email address then disguise it, something like

SPRAYER99 AT HOTMAIL

Or HOTMAIL and my name is SPRAYER99.

If you email address IS sprayer99 at hotmail (or similar) then maybe change it to something more obscure (SPR@YER for example or some other special characters).

Something that is unlikely to be guessed.

Also, it may be best to have TWO emails.

One for close friends and family that you ONLY give out to them which will get very little spam

The other can be used to sign up for web sites or forums, which is likely to get full of spam.

[VHG]

Some more basic advice (sorry it you know all this already but if you are new to computers you may not).

As I said, be VERY wary of clicking on any link in an email, it may take you to a dummy web site, or maybe a web site contaning a virus.

NEVER give out personal information when prompted to via an email. A bank will NEVER ask for your password, paypal will never ask you to "verify your account details".

DONT believe every email you get. You have NOT won the lottery, you have NOT won a free holiday, you have NOT got a rich uncle in Canada who has left you lots of money.

These are all scams just trying to get money out of you. There is always some "upfront" fee to pay before getting your hands on the money (admin fee, local tax etc).

Be wary of an attachment that is sent along with an email, particularly one from a person you dont know.

If may say "click on the attachment to see a picture of the Easter Bunny", or "Brittney Spears in the nude", or whatever).

This attachment will nearly always have a virus on it.

Make sure you have anti virus software installed and run it regularly (or better still a full security suite).

Make sure you run Windows Update on a regular basis to keep Windows up to date.

Try to have a firewall installed on your computer.

Unfortunately using a PC connected to the internet is now a rather dangerous place.

There was a guy in Scotland the other day who lost his HOUSE because he replied to one of those emails that said he had won the lottery.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_s cotland/7979595.stm

[jake-the-peg]

So as VHG says these phishing mails look like links to your bank but are not.

There's another very good reason not to click them.

You're pretty certain that these websites are not run by "nice " people.

Occasionally problems come to light with browsers like IE or Firefox where cleverly put together websites can break the browser and allow people to fool your computer into running programs.

In such circumstances you could get infected with a virus.

[sprayer]

Thank you all for very good advice, I must admit I never thought of key loggers etc. and it has certainly made me think twice about who I give my email address to, as mentioned I shall now go about trying to get an alternative address. Once again thanks everyone for great advice ...

[eltelioni]

Don't stop at 2. I have one email for financial stuff, one for friends, one for internet purchases, one for reputable sites, one for sites I am not sure about ...

[BertiWooster]

,

[Whickerman]

If you want a good read, all of the current and past scams are listed here:

http://www.millersmiles.co.uk/

A lot of the mails look really official, but follow VHG's advice and you'll do ok.