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Hamfisted Phishing Spam

Featured Replies

  • Moderator

You would think that folks that send out such obvious phishing attempts would at least proofread before sending them out! I've been getting several of these every week for the past few months:

Quote
[Refυnd Notificаtion]

  dear mеmbеr,
 Due to a ѕγstеm еrror you were double сharged for your last οгdеr , а rеfυnd рroсeѕs was initiated but сould not be сomрlеtеd due to еггors in youг biꞁꞁing infοrmаtiοn .  

                      REF СοDE : CA-7F021C805  
    You are reqυiгed to pгovide us a vаlid ƅiꞁꞁing аddreѕѕ .

The obvious error of course is "biꞁꞁing", which I infer should have been "billing".

Never mind the fact that if they didn't have valid "biꞁꞁing infοrmаtiοn", how did they manage to charge me to begin with?  

<sigh> i truly despise ignorance!

Fr. Bill    

AOPA Member: 07141481 AARP Member: 3209010556


     Avsim Board of Directors | Avsim Forums Moderator

Yup as you say, the obvious problem with this one is that if you had been billed twice, this could only occur if you had provided adequate information necessary for you to be billed in the first place, so it fails on its own internal logic in asking you to provide information it theoretically would already possess.

This is aside from the lack of capitalisation, dodgy inset spacing, the use of 'due to' twice in the same sentence, rather than 'owing to' in the second instance, or indeed starting the sentence with 'due to' since it is a verb when used in this manner, space commas, space periods, the list goes on. It's all over the place; it's hard to imagine that anyone could be fooled by it, but obviously some people are or these things would not exist.

Alan Bradbury

Check out my youtube flight sim videos: Here

We seem to miss out on the emails these days, They used to come more often. I think in the UK they tended to originate from Nigeria.  But now we get regular phone calls from ''Microsoft engineer'', with a heavy Indian accent.

If I'm not busy I like to play dumb and see how long I can keep them on the line. Last one managed about 20 minutes while I explained how ''I am afraid of computers, and wanted him to help me download his software package, but unfortunately I must have misunderstood his instructions because I could not manage to do it ''.

I was amazed with the guy's patience.

 

 

John B

Just in case anyone was unaware, it's a little known fact which I don't often put about, that in addition to being into flight sims and such, I am also a Nigerian Prince, and coincidentally, I am trying to get my 25 million Dollars inheritance out of the country, so if anyone wants to give me their full bank details in order to help me accomplish this, I am prepared to give you half of it. May the Blessings of the Invisible Pink Unicorn be upon you all my brothers.

Edited by Chock

Alan Bradbury

Check out my youtube flight sim videos: Here

1 hour ago, n4gix said:

You would think that folks that send out such obvious phishing attempts would at least proofread before sending them out! I've been getting several of these every week for the past few months:

The obvious error of course is "biꞁꞁing", which I infer should have been "billing".

Never mind the fact that if they didn't have valid "biꞁꞁing infοrmаtiοn", how did they manage to charge me to begin with?  

<sigh> i truly despise ignorance!

You're missing the point Bill. Large numbers of the people getting these 'rEfuNds' are not on the same literacy level as your good self. To me, that message would pass muster in many a home. 

The World is divided into two groups. Those who say "Give me a link" and those that provide the link. WWG1WGA

1 hour ago, Chock said:

Just in case anyone was unaware, it's a little known fact which I don't often put about, that in addition to being into flight sims and such, I am also a Nigerian Prince, and coincidentally, I am trying to get my 25 million Dollars inheritance out of the country, so if anyone wants to give me their full bank details in order to help me accomplish this, I am prepared to give you half of it. May the Blessings of the Invisible Pink Unicorn be upon you all my brothers.

I'll help if I can Chock. Excuse me, Your Highness.

The World is divided into two groups. Those who say "Give me a link" and those that provide the link. WWG1WGA

  • Administrators

I get these also, Bill!    Along with ones from "Netflix" wanting me to update my billing info.  I'll do that just as soon as I let Microsoft Engineering Dept. on to my computer so they can clean up all of my problems.  👿😜

<I despise igroance, speling and tipeing errors>

Charlie Aron

AVSIM Board of Directors-ADMIN/Moderator-Registrar

Just going to run a Chromebook and not upgrade to a Windows computer. Too many problems with the new Sims! 😱
Trying to keep peace and harmony and the will of Landru on the site seems to be a full time job!

                          images (1) (1).jpeg

1 hour ago, Biggles2010 said:

We seem to miss out on the emails these days, They used to come more often. I think in the UK they tended to originate from Nigeria.  But now we get regular phone calls from ''Microsoft engineer'', with a heavy Indian accent.

If I'm not busy I like to play dumb and see how long I can keep them on the line. Last one managed about 20 minutes while I explained how ''I am afraid of computers, and wanted him to help me download his software package, but unfortunately I must have misunderstood his instructions because I could not manage to do it ''.

I was amazed with the guy's patience.

 

 

I love them! On one occasion, after a lengthy session I said "OK, let's cut to the chase, I'll give you my bank details and password so you can clean me out YOU THIEVING WORD NOT ALLOWED! I did scream down the phone.  

The World is divided into two groups. Those who say "Give me a link" and those that provide the link. WWG1WGA

1 hour ago, Chock said:

..so if anyone wants to give me their full bank details in order to help me accomplish this, I am prepared to give you half of it. May the Blessings of the Invisible Pink Unicorn..

Do you take paypal? I never knew the invisible Unicorn was pink - you are obviously no mere acolyte of that organisation, sir!

Mark Robinson

Part-time Ferroequinologist

Author of FLIGHT: A near-future short story (ebook available on amazon)

I made the baby cry - A2A Simulations L-049 Constellation

Sky Simulations MD-11 V2.2 Pilot. The best "lite" MD-11 money can buy (well, it's not freeware!)

34 minutes ago, charliearon said:

despise

dispies.

The World is divided into two groups. Those who say "Give me a link" and those that provide the link. WWG1WGA

  • Author
  • Moderator
2 hours ago, Biggles2010 said:

But now we get regular phone calls from ''Microsoft engineer'', with a heavy Indian accent.

Several years ago I got such a phone call. As I wasn't particularly busy I decided to play along for awhile. When it got to the point where the caller asked me to install a small program, I asked him if it would run on my little Sinclair computer...

<click>

"Hello?" I asked...

<silence from dead line>

Fr. Bill    

AOPA Member: 07141481 AARP Member: 3209010556


     Avsim Board of Directors | Avsim Forums Moderator
20 minutes ago, n4gix said:

Several years ago I got such a phone call. As I wasn't particularly busy I decided to play along for awhile. When it got to the point where the caller asked me to install a small program, I asked him if it would run on my little Sinclair computer...

<click>

"Hello?" I asked...

<silence from dead line>

My wife had a call only yesterday from ''Visa'', to say that someone had tried to spend £6000 on her Visa debit card in California. This was another caller with an Indian accent. She pretended to be concerned and eventually asked him how she could stop the payment, and get it refunded. He said he would put her on hold while he ''discussed it with his supervisor''. My wife then put the phone down.

A few minutes later the phone rang and I answered it. The same caller was asking to speak to Mrs B...... my wife. 

I said that I did not know her, and that he had come through to the Suffolk Police headquarters, and could I have his name..  The line was cut in milliseconds.  

John B

  • Administrators

I'm still waiting for that Nigerian prince to deliver my lottery winnings! 😩

Charlie Aron

AVSIM Board of Directors-ADMIN/Moderator-Registrar

Just going to run a Chromebook and not upgrade to a Windows computer. Too many problems with the new Sims! 😱
Trying to keep peace and harmony and the will of Landru on the site seems to be a full time job!

                          images (1) (1).jpeg

Good Lord!!...You guys are so negative. All of these emails and phone calls can not be a scam!🤑

Sam

Prepar3D V5.3/[email protected]/EVGA 3080 TI/1000W PSU/Windows 10/40" 4K Samsung@3840x2160/ASP3D/ASCA/ORBX/
ChasePlane/General Aviation/Honeycomb Alpha+Bravo/MFG Rudder Pedals/

2 hours ago, Biggles2010 said:

My wife had a call only yesterday from ''Visa'', to say that someone had tried to spend £6000 on her Visa debit card in California. This was another caller with an Indian accent. ..

You might want to watch out with this one - I actually did get a call a while back. At 9.45 at night. "this is your bank, we've just seen some strange movements on your card with money being spent in Luxembourg. Could we ask you some questions?". Yeah, sure! I gave the caller short shrift and said I'd call my bank right away to inform them about this scam/phishing. "Wow! You're the fist client I had in weeks who actually from himself out wants to do what you should be doing. We would have advised you to get in touch with the service number on the back of your card presently..."

 

It was indeed a call from my bank and there were strange transactions in Luxembourg... All in all only about €60, but still.

 

Cheers

 

Mallard

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This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

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