Jan 12 2007
Contract Killer Spam?
Sophos has issued a press release dealing with a new variation on the type of spam we can expect to see arriving in our inboxes. Thats right, it’s Professional Killer Death Threat Spam.
No Seriously;
(Sample “Contract Killer Spam” from Sophos.com)
Normally this sort of thing would, at worst, cause me to risk accidentally inhaling my morning coffee due to laughter. However I’ve spent the last few days casually surfing through the Rip-Off Report and was amazed at the number of phishing, advance fee scams and similar efforts that actually seemed to hit the mark.
Are the bulk of us that stupid?
I’d say stupid is unfair, naive may be more accurate.
Folks spam may now account for 94% of all email sent. There’s no longer an excuse not to be aware of the most common scams, and how to ensure you’re not one of the victims left holding the bag.
- If it seems too good to be true, IT PROBABLY IS. - Lets all say that again to ourselves shall we, it may seem the answer to your problems (be they bad credit, no money, ED or just an amazing bargain) but come on, what are the odds?
- Assume the email warnings about your account being closed (with your bank, credit card company, online auction service) are scams, go to their “official” website yourself (not by clicking on a link in the email) and check your account details.
- NO ONE needs you to pay up front for a prize, the transfer of millions from a third world country, lottery winnings, a credit card or loan. A legitimate business will not require money FROM you to get money TO you.
- If it seems too good to be true, IT PROBABLY IS.
Oh yes, as a side note.
There is no such thing as an email tracing program so stop forwarding those emails to me.
[Hat Tip: The Daily Security Digest]
I think the word you’re really looking for is gullible.
If someone wants to kill me that badly, I’ll just have to carve them into small enough pieces to fit into the yellow biohazardous waste bags we have at work. There are lots of unoccupied, isolated places that I could do the work, and the proper tools are all over the site. Disposal would be a snap.
Gullible, yes. Apparently, there are enough gullible folks around to make this worthwhile. My response to this message would be: “I’m former Marine and I collect military rifles. Take your best shot.”
I think the word is “stupid.” Maybe “ignorant.”
BBC News, CBC, CityTV and Canoe are the reputable news providers that have Spam stories and warnings at least once a week. Every legitimate site that requires a login tells you every time you log in they will never ask for your password. I explained the Nigerian Mail Scam and the concept of these traps to a friend at work so she’d understand Erik’s Jim Kirk exchange a while back. She then fell for a e-mail scam that, while not from Nigeria, was the same story (dead relative, estate, bank account numbers, etc.) and had to go into a long battle with her bank. The bank, like me, did not have any sympathy for her situation because warnings about e-mail fraud are so prolific only a retarded Troglodyte would fall for them.