PayPal: A Scam …

You know, I’ve got to admit, I’m something of a Dr Who fan.

You know that, already … !

It’s why Grub and I started Nik Nak and Grub’s Who Peculiar, after all.

But as you’ve probably realised … ?

The original Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar is still active.

Mind me making a confession, though … ?

By Gods, two blogs is harder work than I thought, even WITH all this time … !

But, at any rate … ?

At any rate, I’ve been following the rather good Life, Dr Who and ComBom for some time.

Who — earlier today — managed to flag up this little alert, about scams associated with video previews of A Good Man Goes To War, tonights 7th episode.

I made a mental note to keep my eyes peeled, just in case.

But the security scare that almost had me … ?

WASN’T a video …

It was actually a phising attempt, seemingly from PayPal, that almost got me handing over my details, given its apparent authenticity.

Seriously, it weren’t half convincing … !

I did a lot of digging around.

Just to make sure.

And found out that PayPal, never send out this sort of email: or, at least, not from the address, notice@security.org.

Once I’d worked out the email — and the attachment — were fakes?

I immediately alerted PayPal, themselves: they have a specific email address for this sort of thing, spoof@paypal.com.

If you get something like that … ?

Let them know, by forwarding them the suspect mail, and let them know what’s going on.

Oh … And have a read of the helpful advise they sent me …

• The email uses a generic greeting like ‘Dear user’ or ‘Hello, PayPal member.’ We always address you by your first name and last name or the business name on your PayPal account.
• The email requests financial and other personal information. For example, an email from PayPal never asks for the numbers of your bank account, debit or credit card, or driver’s license. We also don’t request your email addresses, your full name, your account password, or the answers to your PayPal security questions.
• The email includes an attachment, a software update to install on your computer, or a hyperlink.

Catch you later … !

Email Scams: That’s A New One

And I’m not kidding, either … !

I’ve got to admit, I was just poking around my gmail account’s Spam folder, earlier.

Which sounds strange.

But it’s something I do with both it and my private account.

Just to make sure that emails that I’m expecting, haven’t been misdirected.

Thankfully, there’s was nothing that had gone astray, like that.

But there was the usual amount of bumf, junk and plain old pooh.

And something novel.

Or novel, for an attempted scam email, any way.

Here, just in case you can’t make out the text in the photo …

SCAM VICTIM COMPENSATION PAYMENT VIA ATM CARD.

BANK OF AFRICA/UNITED NATIONS 2011

COMPENSATIONS PAYMENTS DIRECTIVE.

ATTN:Sir/Madam.

SCAMMED VICTIM/.REF/PAYMENTS CODE:06654 1.5 MILLION USD.

This is to bring to your notice that I am delegated from the United

Nations and Union Bank Of Africa to pay 100 Benin Republic 419 scam victims $1.5 Million each, you are listed and approved for this payments as one of the

scammed victims,get back to us as soon as possible for the immediate

payments of your $1.5 Million compensations funds. On this faith full

recommendations,

I want you to know that during the last UN meetings held

at Port Novo,Capital Of Benin Republic,it was alarmed so much by the rest

of the world in the meetings on the lose of funds by various foreigners to

the scams artists operating in syndicates all over the world today,in

other to retain the good image of the country,the president of the country

is now paying 100 victims of this operators $1.5Million USD each,Due to the

corrupt and inefficient banking systems in Benin Republic,the payments are

to be paid by UNION BANK OF AFRICA as corresponding paying bank under funding assistance by the National Westminster bank London.

According to the number of applicants at hand,84 beneficiaries has been paid ,half of the victims are from the United States and Asia,we still have more 16 left to be paid the compensations of $1Million each. Your particulars was

mentioned by one of the syndicates who was arrested in Cotonou as one of

their victims of the operations,you are hereby warned not to communicate

or duplicate this message to him for any reason what so ever,the US secret

service is already on trace of the criminal,You can receive your

compensations payments via ATM CARD PAYMENT.

Furthermore you are advice toreconfirm you billing address include your full name and direct contact telephone number to the Managing Director Swift Card Consultant Payment Center for the certified ATM Card, the contact information is as follows:

MANAGING DIRECTOR SWIFT CARD

CONSULTANT PAYMENT CENTER.

Email:(ubabank13@accountant.com)

TEL PHONE: +229-97 09 7 82

NAME: Dr Linda maxwel.

Call her immediately you get this mail to enable her speed up for your ATM

payment Card,NB Please do not reply to this E-mail,contact the Managing

Director Swift Card Consultant Payment Center immediately with the

necessary information required from you so that they will commence on

processing.

Yours faithfully,

Gad Amata

But I’ve got to admit, that was new.

A scam email telling me I was due compensation …

For being scammed … !

Dear me, what will they come up with, next … ?

»»•««

Now, just as a last thing … ?

Bless, you can tell how revered Nicholas Courtney was, can’t you … ?

I managed to pick the poster — that second photo — from Life, Dr Who & Combom: and can find the relevant link to the original, here …

And Toby, over at Inner Toob … ?

Had this …

The Comantra Scam

You know, I’ve just been nattering to Kelly the Charmer, on Facebook, who’s confessed she had something of a worrying call …

From a company called Comantra, who say they are a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner.

Who’d ‘detected’ that her machine was running a touch on the slow side, and could give her a hand getting rid of any unwanted nasties on her version of Windoze …

On top of being a great singer and a competent musician, Kelly’s a bright woman.

And one with a nose for dead fish, bad eggs, and rats.

And flagged it up on Facebook, to see what she could dig up.

She’s also just told me that the actual call from this chap had a lot of interference for a call that — supposedly — originated in Bradford, and also stressed that the chap on the other end of the line got rather annoyed when she wouldn’t actually do anything, ’til she’d checked everything out.

Kelly’s a bright woman.

Kelly politely took the offered freephone number, and told him she’d call once she’d checked everything out: which, as I think I mentioned, she did by mentioning the call on Facebook, to see what she could see, and by Googling for any sort of information.

Looks like there’s a lot of that, for a company based in Bengal. None of it flattering.

»»»·«««

Now, I’m none too sure who’s you’d have to report this sort of thing to if you get a call from Comantra.

But from what Kelly’s told me … ?

It’s a scam.

And a great big smelly scam, at that …

»»»·«««