Jump to content

So can you detect a phishing email?


Spyder
 Share

Recommended Posts

I don't click on links in emails, I go to the real site and access information updates that way.  I spotted a phishing email from a seller on Ebay years back. It was very very good but the logo wasn,t quite positioned where it should have been so I sent it to their fraud dept.  problem with Ebay is they change the page look frequently so I doubt I could spot it again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The most convincing one I had recently was from SFR and I did click on a link but obviously didn't fill anything in.

(I am on linux so .exe files etc don't work)

It was an exact replica of a real SFR page except that the facture I was supposed to not have paid wasn't the number of  any that I have received.

I phoned the helpline and they gave me an address to forward the mail to...which was incorrect [:-))]

I then had to look up the real 'suspect.email' one for SFR

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just had one from amazon (.co.uk)which looks real, until I thought - not got anything on order, went to check an old email order from them, and my orders page to verify, and guess what, they've (the spammers) cribbed a lot, but not the important point, email add is wrong, and any order confirmation from amazon will tell you what you've bought etc etc ... this one didn't, just said your package would be sent by royal mail.  Deleted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9/10

Was unsure about #7

Spotted the A/C No. digits and customer name but suspicious of the links in the message, in reality I would have hovered on the links to see where they led but ultimately if I got that email I'd log into my account myself manually and not follow any iinks, better safe than sorry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Loads of SFR 'attempts' recently, though it has quietened down of late.

A slight digression. I received a message from that Linkedin outfit, purportedly on behalf of a friend and asking if I did indeed know him.. I've zapped it.

More worryingly though, when I opened the message, there were 3 other people on there (pics too) who I. Know quite well. Two of them are on my address list (and me doubtless on theirs). The third is my nephew's wife who operates professionally under her maiden name - she isn't on our address list, in fact we haven't had contact for years.

Its all quite spooky and of course I understand very well that all our address lists get compromised and links are made. Hate it though.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Gardian"]A slight digression. I received a message from that Linkedin outfit, purportedly on behalf of a friend and asking if I did indeed know him.. I've zapped it.

More worryingly though, when I opened the message, there were 3 other people on there (pics too) who I. Know quite well. Two of them are on my address list (and me doubtless on theirs). The third is my nephew's wife who operates professionally under her maiden name - she isn't on our address list, in fact we haven't had contact for years.

Its all quite spooky and of course I understand very well that all our address lists get compromised and links are made. Hate it though.[/quote]

The LinkedIn one may have been genuine. If contacts of yours join LinkedIn, the LinkedIn system (DEPENDING ON THE ACCOUNT SETTINGS) may be enabled to send invitations to join to people in their address list. If you respond, the system then asks you to set up an account.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got 3 wrong, but that was because I said they were all phishing, like someone else.  I too would not open them, but go to my account (if I had one, and if not, I know they are false) or see what happens.  In my experience, if it says you will be cut off if you don't act, it's a phisher, because all genuine problems will come by letter or  personally (or account no) addressed as far as I can see ...

I had a couple of apple-lookalikes recently, but as I hadn't had any recent transactions, or been anywhere near the supposed action, I forwarded them to the apple site for these things, and they have since ceased ....

My theory is, if in doubt, zap, and if genuine (liked missed phone calls if urgent) they will find another way of contacting you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Judith"]I got 3 wrong, but that was because I said they were all phishing, like someone else.  I too would not open them, but go to my account (if I had one, and if not, I know they are false) or see what happens.  In my experience, if it says you will be cut off if you don't act, it's a phisher, because all genuine problems will come by letter or  personally (or account no) addressed as far as I can see ...

I had a couple of apple-lookalikes recently, but as I hadn't had any recent transactions, or been anywhere near the supposed action, I forwarded them to the apple site for these things, and they have since ceased ....

My theory is, if in doubt, zap, and if genuine (liked missed phone calls if urgent) they will find another way of contacting you.

[/quote]

We sound very similar on this matter, Judith. I got 5 wrong, as I'm extremely careful with such messages, and like you, I expect to be contacted again if it's important. A member of my family was almost taken in by such an email, which made me even more careful.

Then there were the two friends whose iphones were hacked, and who supposedly sent messages for help. Some friends were taken in by one of them, as that friend was heading off on holiday - not to the country the message mentioned, but to Egypt. I'm ultra cautious now.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually no because only the part about login details is phishing, the

others are scams but neither are really anything to be worried about if

clicking on a link in a forum post by a bona fide member. That might conceivably constitute an extremely minor risk of getting a virus or malware but even then any decent antivirus would or should catch it.

I think too that others before you, myself for instance, who have been to the site would have very quickly reported anything suspicious about it.

Of course clicking on links in unsolicited emails and anonymous messages is to be avoided but at the same time there should be a true appreciation of the risks and a sense of proportion kept.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just found this thread and gave it a try. Strangly two out of three I marked as Phishing came up as wrong and when I clicked on the "Why" it said they were Phishing which is what I said (no I am not joking). The one I really got wrong was the PayPal one but that said I have had something like that before and I would never use their login link anyway, I always login to PayPal manually to check and if there is no message I bin the email.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...