MSN / Hotmail Spoof Alert

berkeleybeej

[berkeleybeej]

Sorry for the vanity - but I wanted to alert MSN and Hotmail users to a spoofed email I received that was supposedly from "Hotmail Staff". (I have an MSN account.)

The email said they were reviewing accounts and there was some problem that needed clarification on my account. I was supposed to click on the provided link. However the link in the email was different than the actual link which would have taken me to http://securetrade-eu.com/check.php. The email said if information wasn't provided within 48 hours, my account would be restricted.

I spoke with Tech Support at MSN and the guy confirmed it was a phony email. So be aware, someone is looking to get your account info.

[LurkedLongEnough]

Thanks.

Noticed your screen name - Does this have anything to do, I wonder, with the massive ID cybertheft from UC Berkeley a few weeks back?

[writmeister]

Thanks for the info. I have received this e-mail twice in the past month. I thought it was fake since the address was different that the real billing address, and deleted the message. I am glad to have the confirmation.

[Mr. Jazzy]

Another Phishing scheme.

IGNORE!!!

[alancarp]

I have seen several: from SunTrust, Citibank, BankOne, Earthlink, etc (most of which I don't do business with!). In short, NEVER trust anything asking for account info. If it's from a legit source, they don't need to ask!

[Coyoteman]

So be aware, someone is looking to get your account info.

Bet it phished you off, too.

[KoRn]

Thanks for the heads up. I delete all those messages anyway, they are just M$ spam.

[berkeleybeej]

Bet it phished you off, too.

LOL!

[berkeleybeej]

massive ID cybertheft from UC Berkeley a few weeks back?

I hadn't heard about that.

I lived in Berkeley a few years ago when I first got hooked on FreeRepublic...didn't change my name when I left the state.

[Alright_on_the_LeftCoast]

When this happens, if you click on any of the links, you should change your password right away.

Some of these have the ability to capture much of your personal data just by going to their link... ie ip addy, password, etc.

[Horatio Gates]

Good suggestion. I got a message from Sun Trust and the entire message was done as a jpeg hyperlink no rtf at all. Not realizing that until I clicked in what I thought was a margin in the message.

[valkyrieanne]

Legitimate sites will *never* ask you to click on anything or to give any information unless you are *logged in* to their site. We just got one pretending to be PayPal; we turned it over to them. Don't know if it does any good or not. But *don't click anything* inside an e-mail like that; better yet, don't even download or open it. Get something like MailWasher so you can preview questionable material at the server, and don't even have to download it.

[Enterprise]

I got a "phish" E-Mail from Citibank. I called them and they agreed it was a strange E-mail, since they had no record that I had ever provided them with my E-Mail. But here it is in its entirety - other FreePers beware!:

"Dear Customer:

Your online credit card account has high-risk activity status. We are contacting you to remind you that on Nov. 30, 2004 our Account Review Team identified some unusual activity in your account. In accordance with Citibank's User Agreement and to ensure that your account has not been compromised, access to your account was limited. Your account access will remain limited until this issue has been resolved.

We encourage you to log in and perform the steps necessary to restore your account access as soon as possible. Allowing your account access to remain limited for an extended period of time may result in further limitations on the use of your account and possible account closure. If you would like close your credit card account, please contact us, as soon as possible.

To protect the security of your account, Citibank, employs some of the most advanced security systems in the world and our anti-fraud teams regularly screen the Citibank system for unusual activity.

Login to your limit account and restore online access: https://www.accountonline.com/Login. This notification is part of the All-Electronic Program you enrolled in to receive your activity report online.

If you're planning to change your e-mail address, sign-on to www.citicards.com, go to the Manage My Account menu, and choose Update Personal Profile to edit your Email Profile. To change your postal address, just use the same menu and choose Address & Phone Change.

If you use your work e-mail address, keep in mind some employers may block receipt of employees' personal e-mail. Please update your e-mail address at www.citicards.com -see instructions above.

We hope you continue to enjoy the many benefits of the All-Electronic Program.

Sincerely,
S. Larson
Customer Service
FEDERAL REGULATIONS REQUIRE THE STATEMENT PRINTED ON THE REVERSE SIDE

Your credit card is issued by Citibank(South Dakota), N.A., 701 E. 60th N., Sioux Falls, SD 57104.

NOTICE: The federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits creditors from discriminating against credit applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age (provided the applicant has the capacity to enter into a binding contract); because all or part of the applicant's income derives from any public assistance program; or because the applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. The federal agency that administers compliance with this law concerning Citibank (South Dakota), N.A. is the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Customer Assistance Group, 1301 McKinney Street, Suite 3450,Houston, Texas 77010-9050.

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[South40]

More Hotmail Tomfoolery

[goldstategop]

Yes... I got one - it looked official and when I clicked on it - guess what? It didn't lead to MSN.