A whole spate of phishing scams...
By liquorice
@liquorice (3887)
July 30, 2012 7:53am CST
I'm the kind of person who likes looking through their junk folder. I know some people think that's strange, but you seriously get some funny things in there.
And in the last week I have suddenly got loads of Nigerian people wanting me to do them massive favours by taking lots of money off their hands. As well as a young girl who has been left without a family, but with lots of money that she would like to share with me. She'd also like me to be her guardian by all accounts. Oh, and several American customs officials found last wills and testaments in the suitcases of people who have left all of their money to me! Just how lucky can one person be??!
Of course they all want information from me, and I do report them all to my mail provider as phishing scams. But they just keep coming and coming. Has anyone noticed this sudden influx of scam messages?
(And is there any way of getting back at the scammers?? I suspect not, because as soon as you reply, you're gonna get exponentially more junk, once they know it's an active address.. Would be good though to somehow give them a taste of their own medicine! 
)
)1 person likes this
4 responses
@sanjay91422 (2725)
• India
30 Jul 12
I also read my junk folder because sometimes some important messages gets there.
sometimes some messages are in a line of demarkation between being junk and being important.
I read my spam folder for such mails, and yes I also get the kind of mails which you wrote about. I simply don't open them. It is good that you report them, I don't know how to do that. Can you tell me how to do that?
1 person likes this
@sanjay91422 (2725)
• India
31 Jul 12
I looked there once more but it is not there. I am thankful for your concern.
1 person likes this
@much2say (55562)
• Los Angeles, California
30 Jul 12
Oh geez - those phishing scams are something else . . . like who's going to fall for it, right? (Eek, I'm sure someone is falling for them, otherwise they wouldn't keep trying). I look through the junk folder too . . . you just never know what can pop up in there - but mostly I do it because important stuff get mixed in there. I have no idea how to get back at them . . . perhaps the best thing to do is ignore them I suppose. Maybe you can set up a free email account and reply back through that with false information! Tell them you have a Swiss account and you have an unlimited source of funds to help them with their cause - ha ha.
1 person likes this
@liquorice (3887)
•
30 Jul 12
Yes, I always think that nobody could be falling for that. But then I think that they must send those messages to so many people if I'm getting them, and maybe out of the millions, some people do. I also hope that I'm never going to see a really convincing one, and fall for it myself... 
I like your thinking on setting up another account. There may be potential there, lol!
I like your thinking on setting up another account. There may be potential there, lol! @liquorice (3887)
•
1 Aug 12
Oh, such a shame that there will probably always be people who do fall for it. And you're right, probably aimed at the older and vulnerable. Your poor father-in-law, thinking he was a millionaire..
I worry that replying to them will show them that your email address is indeed an active one, and then they will send a million more! Although I feel like that's happening to my account at the moment, I get more and more every day, and I haven't replied to any of them!!! So no sure what's going on.
My favourite of the day was apparently from the "UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL OVERSIGHT SERVICES". Imagine if there were such an office. Hilarious. But also kind of annoying.. :(
So no sure what's going on.
My favourite of the day was apparently from the "UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL OVERSIGHT SERVICES". Imagine if there were such an office. Hilarious. But also kind of annoying.. :(@much2say (55562)
• Los Angeles, California
31 Jul 12
It's sad, but maybe they're hoping to pray upon those who don't know about "phishing scams" - like some elderly person. I know that's something my father-in-law would probably fall for . . . thank goodness he never got the hang of emailing! He got one of those "You could have won a million dollars" mailer - with one of those fake checks attached . . . and he swore up and down that he had won a million dollars.
Ha ha - I should try the email reply to see what happens . . . wonder if I could get in trouble for it?
1 person likes this
@TrinityDownpour (790)
• Liechtenstein
31 Jul 12
I'm an even funnier person then you. I look through the junk folder and found one email from Nigeria asking for my details so that they can send partial of their "wealth" to me. I reply to them by giving fake details to them for fun and guess what? They really think that "Zelda" is my real name then they ask me to follow more procedures which I don't feel like doing it anymore so I ignored it in the end.
@liquorice (3887)
•
31 Jul 12
Ha ha, I'm glad that you're even funnier than me, ! Thanks for sharing that, now we know what is the next stage of their scam. Sounds like they just ask for more and more details. I'm glad you didn't give them anything, and I admire the fake details thing. To do that in a way that didn't confirm that my email address is active would be even better. :)
! Thanks for sharing that, now we know what is the next stage of their scam. Sounds like they just ask for more and more details. I'm glad you didn't give them anything, and I admire the fake details thing. To do that in a way that didn't confirm that my email address is active would be even better. :)
@riyauro (6421)
• India
30 Jul 12
I think everyone using the internet have received this scam messages. I have it full in my junk as well. this is crazy. trying to make people greedy for the money and taking there money in a pathetic way. I know some people who have fallen prey to the kind of scam. They are all losers who try this tricks on innocent people.
you are right, these people need to be given a trip of their life in their own language.
thanks for sharing. have a wonderful day.
1 person likes this
@liquorice (3887)
•
30 Jul 12
Yes, I'm sure of that too. I just seem to suddenly be getting sooo many of them, and not sure why! (Is there some memo going round that I like them? lol! 
)
It's sad that some people actually fall for them. I guess maybe people who are new to the internet, and who have never heard of these tricks before might fall victim to it. It's very sad and they are pathetic con artists, and people need to be able to get them back.. 
Thanks for your reply.
)
It's sad that some people actually fall for them. I guess maybe people who are new to the internet, and who have never heard of these tricks before might fall victim to it. It's very sad and they are pathetic con artists, and people need to be able to get them back..
Thanks for your reply.