New email scam

[StuBach]

I’m not 100% on this but looks like one of our members’ hotmail accounts got hacked.

5 years ago I helped a member with some parts for a Mp mold and all of a sudden today he reaches out asking how I’m doing. I politely responded though it seemed strange only for him to reply saying he fell on hard times physically and can’t move and asked me to go buy him a Google play card to give as a gift. When I politely refused and offered the link to where he could buy from Amazon he gave an excuse of cards coming in cancelled so that wouldn’t work for him.

I did a little digging and this is actually a common scam where someone takes over an account and uses it in this manner (language in the emails I got had language similar to the scams). Please be aware and if you know Shuz44 (no longer listed as a member) please alert him to his account being hacked.

https://support.google.com/googleplay/thread/27380680/scam-from-yahoo-account-to-get-google-play-gift-card?hl=en

[Handloader109]

Hotmail? no one I know of has any active accounts In years. I'd be suspicious of that alone

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[Handloader109]

Oh, and I'd have said give me a call, I'd like to talk to you first.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[Buzz Krumhunger]

I know a few people who have active hotmail accounts. Nothing suspicious about it IMO.

[frkelly74]

I use a hotmail account. I hate the thought of getting a different account.

[Wally]

I was contacted as well and told the party that I'd do as instructed, but that I'd not email him the gift card code...I'd FedX the card to him and asked for an address...of course he didn't provide it.

[Bmi48219]

I was an officer of our fishing club a few years back. Got an email that appeared to be from the club president. Instructed me to purchase gift cards and then email pics of the cards showing the number - code to him. Told him ok but couldn’t scan or photo, I’d have to mail. He said he could meet me so I gave him the address of the local police station. Didn’t hear back. Now every six months or so the new president or the ‘past president’ announces they’ve been hacked and not to fall for it.

[fecmech]

I got the same email from the same member wanting me to buy gift cards. Then got an email telling me his account had been hacked.

[StuBach]

Yeah I got the same “hacked” email asking me to disregard the earlier email. Glad I refused to do it

[myg30]

I have hot mail also. I hear of gmail being hacked.

Mike

[rbuck351]

I guess I'd have to look at my email one of these days to see if someone is trying to scam me. I look at my email once or twice a month to erase the messages. If I don't know who an email is from it gets erased.

[StuBach]

Please note, the comment about hotmail was not an attack on their service just part of the information. I had a hotmail account for many many years before I let it lapse about a decade ago. Always liked the service, just ended up liking Gmail more due to the excessive storage they offered.

Not recommending or condoning any email providers as all are susceptible to these kinds of hacks. My company (major international conglomerate) has issues with out emails getting hacked too and we spend probably billions a year on training and protections, it can happen to anyone. Please be weary.

Recommend Using “strong” passwords that contain symbols and are not related to words associated with you.




Trick I learned from one of earlier mentioned trainings:

Use a phrase that means something to you. Turn it into an acronym. Than replace some of the letters with corresponding letters or symbols and mix up the lower and upper case.

i = !
E = 3
B = 8
A = @
S = $
etc.

Example: “cast boolits are fun to shoot all day long”

cBaFtSaDl Acronym alternating caps

c8@FtS@Dl Final version replace b’s with 8’s and a’s with @‘s

A phrase that means something to you and can’t be guessed by a algorithm but is somewhat easy to remember to you if you remember the rules you followed.

Better yet, make up your own rules for what replaces what and than always follow them. Also, you can add additional characters to the end or beginning to denote what company the site is your using, that way they don’t get all your accesses, just that one site.


Hmc8@FtS@Dl for hotmail

Ppc8@FtS@Dl For PayPal

Cbc8@FtS@Dl for CastBoolits.com


Granted, I reserve this trick for only financial institutions and use simpler ones for most services/sites but still a good trick to know and use.

[bedbugbilly]

A very common scam . . . don't fall for it - don't respond and hit the delete button.

If a member here wants to contact another member - chances are they will PM thru this site.

[gwpercle]

Oh Yeah ... You pegged it ... SCAM
Thanks for the heads up .
Gary

[Shuz]

Shuz here--yes ,my email address book was hacked into and most and prolly all addresses were lifted and used on the Google card scam as outlined in an above post.
If the government was really interested in catching this person, all they have to do is find out who set up the rshuz44@gmail.com account and go after him or her. Meantime I have discontinued using the hotmail addy that I have had since 1984 or so and sent information about this scam to all on my former hotmail address list.

[Bmi48219]

Yeah I got the same “hacked” email asking me to disregard the earlier email. Glad I refused to do it

I look at it from the position that I would never ask someone via email or text to buy something and send it. Requesting someone spend $$$ without a FTF conversation or a phone call is inappropriate.

[FISH4BUGS]

Our Sportsman's Club web page lists all our Board member's email addresses. They (whoever "they" are) copied those email addresses and have been asking for gift cards constantly.
The typical ploy is to say they are on the road and they will reimburse me when they get back.
Sometimes I play along when I have nothing better to do.
Hard to believe that some people are so stupid they will actually fall for that.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I use a scheme for passwords where I use my, uh, unusual sense of humor, and life experiences, to make my passwords and PIN numbers.

More likely that an attacker would brute force a server than attack an individual account, or social engineer access into a server room.

Guy I know was good at social engineering, he had access stickers as visitors to places I'd done contract work at, pretty sure he wasn't working for the same contracting firm I worked for so he didn't get them, uhm, validly. White hat guy tho, so maybe he just was penetration testing to point out to them how one could get in. I figure I'll hear about it some day...

[PhilC]

I've had a couple of these scammer emails lately, one from Shuz's hacked email and the other from an email interchange with a disgruntled owner 5yrs ago. Neither email asked me to purchase anything but both contained words similar to "Can I ask a favor of your reply?" Dead giveaway.

I never respond to email from anyone I don't know (do the same with phone calls from numbers I don't know), and knowing Ray, knew he didn't send that email. Both were sent straight to my junk folder.

[JoeJames]

Got an email from an old friend in Texas asking for game boy? Cards for his nephew. First I thought he’d lost his mind, but I called him. He had no idea what I was talking about. Seems his e-mail address had been hacked. Strange people out there.

[0verkill]

I don't even think they have to get hacked, you can just make it look like the email came from that person. Had that happen to me before where a friend "just needed to borrow 500 buck" that phrase and a couple others stood out so I called him and he had no idea what I was talking about. I hate scammers.