John Carter sends this warning: If you get an email notice like this, DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK. It is a SCAM, and potentially collects personal information about you!
(Note: to enlarge this, click on the screen shot. Also note the incorrect grammar and misspelled word.)
eBay Scam Described
Of course, we want to be alert and aware. Jim Hamm sends this: "A member of a forum I belong to just posted the following note about an eBay scam. Another member mentioned that PayPal usually takes the side of the buyer, so this guy, hopefully, will get his money back. Just passing it on FYI, as there's always a risk when buying something from eBay, or, for that matter, on the internet."
And here's the info Jim copies for us: "I have just been scammed by an eBay seller, and pass this along for what it's worth. I paid for a MacBook via PayPal, but the seller apparently sent it (or more likely a phone book) to a different address in my city. This results in a 'it was delivered' receipt by the post office. The scammer wanted that because my protest and demand for a refund will look weaker if they have a 'it was delivered' receipt.
"Fortunately, the scammer didn't know that the post office keeps a copy of the deliver label, and the delivered address (neither of which are mine of course), and they will have a hard time explaining 'Your item was delivered to the front desk or reception area at 2:24 pm on June 2, 2015 in MARINA, CA 93933.'
"I don't have a front desk nor a reception area in my little house… Beware folks. The world is full of crooks. (I'll let you know if eBay's guarantee refunds my $$$ as it should.)"
"I don't have a front desk nor a reception area in my little house… Beware folks. The world is full of crooks. (I'll let you know if eBay's guarantee refunds my $$$ as it should.)"
Facebook Scam
"There's a new Facebook email scam going around now," John Carter warns. "It has all the appearances of coming from Facebook, but it didn't. In the email, it says that your account has had some suspicious activity and that it has been blocked. You can unblock the account by clicking on the link in the email. DON'T! "
And here's what to do, John says, "To confirm that your Facebook account is okay, just go to facebook.com and log in. Not surprisingly, you'll be able to log in with no problem.
Approach With Caution
David Passell suggests we approach with caution if you are offered a free credit score. David points out that when you click on the red "Click here" you are taken to a NOT FREE site where you have to establish an account and provide a lot of information. The catch is if you do not call the given telephone number to cancel within seven days you'll be charged $29.95 per month.
"The pitch did not come to me by email. It appeared when I signed into my BofA account to check my online banking. I also got it at the top of my PayPal account."
David called to cancel and a "heavily accented person who answered tried very hard to get me to get me not to cancel or at least keep it till the end of the year." He emphatically told him to cancel and then got an email confirming the cancellation.
Warning: Gmail Scam
This warning comes from John Carter. Read carefully, and consider this: "There is another message going around regarding Gmail accounts that could be a scam. Below are the details. DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINK IN THE MESSAGE. If you are really concerned that your email is being attacked, go directly to your Gmail account online and change your password there.
"The curious thing about the attached message is that it was sent on March 28 at 9:53 PM and the incident is reported as happening at 1:53 AM the following morning. Even if the message was sent from California, there is only a three hour difference between New Jersey and California."
Click to enlarge. Here's what the suspicious email says:
FBI E-Scam
Jim Hamm passes along a warning, "There have been reports of a recent email scam, presumably from the FBI, that threatens to lock up your computer unless you pay a 'ransom.' You can read more about this scam here. The malware comes from a website to your browser via Javascript, and can infect both a Mac and a PC (ie., OS X and Windows).
"If you're using Safari, you can get rid of this scam by quitting Safari, and hold the shift key down when reopening Safari — this will prevent previous windows or tabs from reopening."
Jim winds up this warning to us with this: "On the FBI website you'll note there is a link wherein one can report email spam: spam@uce.gov. This goes to the Federal trade Commission. Wonder what they will do with it? You don't suppose they enjoy reading spam, do you?...(grin)."