One thing that you did was verify that that email address is a valid email address. On some server somewhere, a note was logged saying "Score!"
Also that web page might have loaded spyware on your system, or a "trojan horse", or something.
I'd run every scan I could think of on my puter, ifn I were you.
If you have spyware on your machine, and you go to an internet site and buy something using a credit or debit card or your checking account number, the spyware will pull that info and forward it to a waiting willing recipient.
Yes, change the password to your email account. I had something similar happen to me once, the people stole my email account (got my password) and used it to spam other people. Once I changed my password they were no longer able to use my account.
I get these mails every few weeks, from my "bank", "credit card" etc. sometimes they are from banks where I do not have an account even. Both my banks, and at least one of my cards have blurbs about this phishing tactic on their main page, and have an e-mail address to forward the mails to them. they do investigate, and have busted a few of the senders.
I sort of realize that wordwolf but I have a very stubborn person about firewalls around here. I can do just about anything to this computer but don't touch the firewall thing.
I guess that is why our computer was down for so long.
A wonderful loving guy until you want to get a firewall in. LOL
I have a firewall from Norton Internet Security which is pretty good.
Also I never give out my credit card number to any merchant unless it is encrypted. You can tell if the merchant has an encrypted webpage when you see a padlock icon at the bottom of your web browser (at least this is the case for Internet Explorer). Also encrypted website addresses start with "https" rather than just plain "http".
I had an email apparently from Verizon, which is my DSL internet provider, saying that I should respond with my personal information or my account would be cancelled. I forwarded that to the spam department of Verizon, who confirmed that it was a phish attempt. One word of advice, your internet provider will NEVER contact you via e-mail or any other means, requesting personal information. If it appears that they have, report it to your provider at once, usually to the department that enforces terms of service or who handles spam reports. Such people can not only be prosecuted for fraud, but can also face charges of trade-mark infringement if they pretend to be a representative of a certain company.
I think it takes a lot of balls for someone to do something stupid as posing as a representative of a legitimate company just to get personal information for criminal purposes. Whenever you do something like phish somenone, your isp number is recorded, regargless of whether its static or changable, and if the person who is the potential victim turns you in, you can be traced rather quickly. It is possible they could be using an anonymous channel however, so this is only a presumption.
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Shellon
Definately contact them! ASAP
My bank sends me messages in their site, but never in email.
Get ahold of them via the 24/7 800 number that I assume all banks have.
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WordWolf
It wouldn't hurt to give them a copy of the
e-mail, too....
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Steve!
That's a type of phishing.
One thing that you did was verify that that email address is a valid email address. On some server somewhere, a note was logged saying "Score!"
Also that web page might have loaded spyware on your system, or a "trojan horse", or something.
I'd run every scan I could think of on my puter, ifn I were you.
If you have spyware on your machine, and you go to an internet site and buy something using a credit or debit card or your checking account number, the spyware will pull that info and forward it to a waiting willing recipient.
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vickles
I did the mcaffee antispyware and the mcaffee virus scan. It turned up nothing. Do you think I should do something else?
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Abigail
Yes, change the password to your email account. I had something similar happen to me once, the people stole my email account (got my password) and used it to spam other people. Once I changed my password they were no longer able to use my account.
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HAPe4me
I get these mails every few weeks, from my "bank", "credit card" etc. sometimes they are from banks where I do not have an account even. Both my banks, and at least one of my cards have blurbs about this phishing tactic on their main page, and have an e-mail address to forward the mails to them. they do investigate, and have busted a few of the senders.
~HAP
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WordWolf
Yes.
A)
Run an online scan for any viruses it mcaffee missed.
http://www.trendmicro.com
B) Download the latest versions of AdAware
and Spybot:Search and Destroy,
update them, and run them both.
That, on top of changing your passwords, should be enough.
You DO have a firewall, right?
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vickles
I have an inbuilt firewall on my computer...bob doesn't want another firewall up.
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WordWolf
The "inbuilt" firewall-which is it?
It's not that Microsoft Windows one, is it?
If so, you don't exactly HAVE a firewall.
You have a pretend-firewall.
That thing's job is to lower the chances of infection while you
download and run a REAL firewall.
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vickles
I sort of realize that wordwolf but I have a very stubborn person about firewalls around here. I can do just about anything to this computer but don't touch the firewall thing.
I guess that is why our computer was down for so long.
A wonderful loving guy until you want to get a firewall in. LOL
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CKnapp3
I have a firewall from Norton Internet Security which is pretty good.
Also I never give out my credit card number to any merchant unless it is encrypted. You can tell if the merchant has an encrypted webpage when you see a padlock icon at the bottom of your web browser (at least this is the case for Internet Explorer). Also encrypted website addresses start with "https" rather than just plain "http".
I had an email apparently from Verizon, which is my DSL internet provider, saying that I should respond with my personal information or my account would be cancelled. I forwarded that to the spam department of Verizon, who confirmed that it was a phish attempt. One word of advice, your internet provider will NEVER contact you via e-mail or any other means, requesting personal information. If it appears that they have, report it to your provider at once, usually to the department that enforces terms of service or who handles spam reports. Such people can not only be prosecuted for fraud, but can also face charges of trade-mark infringement if they pretend to be a representative of a certain company.
I think it takes a lot of balls for someone to do something stupid as posing as a representative of a legitimate company just to get personal information for criminal purposes. Whenever you do something like phish somenone, your isp number is recorded, regargless of whether its static or changable, and if the person who is the potential victim turns you in, you can be traced rather quickly. It is possible they could be using an anonymous channel however, so this is only a presumption.
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