Attack emails

[mothhawk]

I received an email supposedly from a dear friend of mine this week, except that she sadly died 15 months ago. Alarm bells ringing, I cautiously previewed it without opening it. It contained a link to a site called "kansas reputation repair". Checking this out, again with care, the site tried to mount a massive attack, blocked by my PC security.

So if you get an email from someone you haven't heard from in ages, please take great care and check it out before opening it.

[Small pumpkin]

Thanks for the warning.

[Kirk]

Have had a couple from a friend of mine, and they are still happily walking around this planet. Will say they get placed into Spam by the email. Also they tend to have odd subjects, certainly not usual for them.

Not sure if the real source gets my address from the apparent senders contact list or if the apparent sender is picked up from my contact list.

I would actually assume that to be an apparent valid sender that something managed to access my contact list. So the problem is therefore likely to be at the receivers end (yours/mine).

Generally run something like MalwareBytes and an AV, possibly also clean out the contacts you have.

[mothhawk]

I cleared out my friends address 12 months ago. Perhaps they can pick up on unused accounts and access their address books.

[Florence Fennel]

Rats with a capital "P". Glad you spotted it MH and thanks x

[Jungle Jane]

Perhaps they can pick up on unused accounts and access their address books.

They can take addresses once they've hacked someone's email. It happened to me years ago when I used to use fbook,a friends friends email was hacked & they got my friends email address plus mine because I was linked being the friends friend. I had the same thing an email containing only a link,no hi how are you or anything,I deleted it & let friend know on fbook & she then told the other friend who confirmed she'd had problems with her email. If you didn't click the link you're alright.

[seasprout]

Thanks for the warning.... Bit disturbing really.

[greenishfing]

I had one recently from my aunt and spotted that it was a problem instantly because of the terrible spelling and punctuation in the title. Even her texts are meticulously punctuated normally.

Never even opened it.

[jackarmy]

Interestingly there was a thing about phones on last night and when you "return to factory settings"
Android phones fail to wipe hardly anything off so also be aware of this iff you sell on.

[Bigmallly]

When you receive an email, hover over the senders' name with your mouse & it should show their email address. I'm forever getting them from so called Paypal saying my account needs updating but when I hover the mouse over their address, it is not Paypal. It may help.

[ancee]

That's a good tip BM. Mine got hacked and sent an email about a 'great new diet pill' to everyone I knew! I don't do diets or pills! Some people got a but offended actually until,I explained I'd been hacked!
Like, I'm that tactless!
"Here, lay off the chips a bit you, have a diet pill"
Honestly!

[Ananke]

When you receive an email, hover over the senders' name with your mouse & it should show their email address. I'm forever getting them from so called Paypal saying my account needs updating but when I hover the mouse over their address, it is not Paypal. It may help.

I've been getting crazy amounts of emails claiming to be from Paypal, the more worrying ones have the sender details as my own name and my own email address.

[Bigmallly]

Just delete any that look suss. There is so much of it about.

[skeggijon]

It's very common - especially for people with Hotmail accounts and facebook users.

[JanieB]

I've had 2 today one from netflix and another from paypal saying they had taking a certain amount of money for my subscriptions. I subscribe to both but the amount they were supposedly taking was way above what i agreed to pay. I checked my bank account and the amount had'nt been taken. Both emails asked me to put in personal details. I'm glad I checked or I might have gone for their link which wanted me to plug in my personal stuff.

They are getting cleverer. A clue is still usual grammar and spelling.