Can I ask you to look into this please

I must say at the outset that I am a 419scam baiter and arrived here as a result of the DDoS attacks we all suffered, so this is not my area of expertise for me, though I have used your site to report phishing mails before.

I received this mail into a mail account I use largely to receive scam mail, and it would only receive mail that has been gleaned from website guestbooks where I have purposely left it to pick up scam mail.

It's highly likely that there is some kind of link to a phishing site in that email, possibly in the html portion of the email.

see http://wiki.castlecops.com/Retrieving_Email_Source_Code

It may be worth re-pasting the body if you find more than what is pasted above.

I didn't leave any bits out. That was all there was, but I did read some of the posts here afterwards which referred to a phish where you were asked to ring a telephone number (as this one does) and it's then that the phishing attempt takes place.

It just seemed to me that if cu.org had the status it claimed, it was funny that it existed only as an 'aboutus' page and as a forum behind a login. On the DDoS forum someone mentions forums like that, that are populated with one post new users as a facade to lend credibility.

I'm a 'fish out of water' in this area, but it smells funny. If it's worthwhile I don't mind ringing them - now that is what I do.

There is *no* link to any phish site, yet this IS a phishing scam. It's all being done by phone.

These started up earlier this week.

ew

Check the post in this thread from AplusWebMaster on this topic:

/t206256-Phresh_Credit_Union_Vish.html

Sorry if I sound dumb (there is a reason ), but doesn't that cast doubt on the integrity of cu.org and councils.fcul.com ?

I'll give them a call anyway . If I can't get any onformation out of them, I can at least test their customer service abilities to destruction.

Don't call the number in the e-mail! That will make the scammer happy.

This scam doesn't cast any more 'doubt' on the credit union than it does on any other corporation or financial institution that has also been 'misrepresented' in a phishing scam.

The biggest effort has to be with the end-user .. basic safety information. For example:

No financial institution (bank/credit union/investments) or corporation (eBay/PayPal and others) will contact you via e-mail and ask you to go to any link or make any phone calls.

If they do have to contact you, they will never address you as: "Dear Credit Union customer" ..they will use your name. They have it .. the scammer doesn't.

NEVER click a link out of an e-mail. Learn to 'mouse-over' (no click, just place the mouse pointer over the link) all your links and check where you're *actually* going to be sent by looking on the left side of your status bar. If the link in the e-mail says 'PayPal' and you see on the status bar: www.gotchascammed.com ..that's a clue!

If in doubt, *call* the institution/corporation at their business number and ask. Scam e-mails make use of what's called 'social engineering' .. they 'engineer' you into a rush/panic decision based on fear: fear of having your account restricted or suspended within a number of hours/days if you don't comply. As they say .. balderdash! Don't fall for it.

If you do get a phone call asking for *any* personal information, do NOT give it. Tell the caller you'll contact the [bank/corp/etc] directly yourself. Do NOT let yourself be pressured into a response.

Monitor your bank/credit union balance. Get your free credit bureau reports. If you're a member of eBay or PayPal, log in and check your activity. Has there been any attempt to transfer funds? Are there things offered for auction that you never entered?

Change passwords .. and change them often. Use a *secure* password and do NOT use the same one for multiple accounts. Especially with eBay/PayPal .. the scammers take advantage of the fact that many memebers use the same login/password for both .. for convenience. Yes, you're now making it *very* convenient for the scammer!

Think safety at all times on the internet. In fact, being slightly paranoid doesn't hurt!

Moderator:

Please delete this one .. it tried to double-post.

Thanks ...

Curiouser and curiouser

I rang the number, and a different one that came off another virtually identical mail that was received by a different catcher account of mine, and both telephone numbers were reported as being unassigned. I was hoping for a fun call too

It's really *not* a good idea to be 'playing' with those phone numbers. This stuff isn't a 'game.'

I know what you mean, but I assure you that my set up makes my number untraceable and I am in control of what happens. All I was seeking to do was uncover what the scam was, and that was the only way to do it.

I am flippant by nature - forgive me. It's an act.