Tips to identify a spam message and protect yourself from Spam
Spam comes in a variety of forms, including fraudulent messages. This mass-messaging is called ’spoofing’ or ‘password phishing.’
Such fraudulent practices involve messages that appear to be from a legitimate source, or the creation of an official-looking webpage that asks you to provide your username and password or other personal information. Such messages or pages could ask for your Social Security number, bank account number, PIN number, credit card number, mother’s maiden name, or birthday.
Spammers often ask for this information in an attempt to steal your email account, your money, your credit, or your identity.
Many email clients including Google, Yahoo and MSN provide services which identify a phishing email. Besides that, when using Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox as your browsers, they actively monitor the sites you visit and flag them if you visit a suspected phishing site.
Most email client’s phishing alerts operate automatically, much like spam filtering. A spam filters automatically divert smessages that are suspected of being unwanted messages into ‘Spam’. Similarly, phishing alerts automatically display warnings with messages that are suspected of being phishing attacks so that users know to take care before providing any personal information as shown in the image below
You should always be wary of any message that asks for your personal information, or messages that refer you to a webpage asking for personal information.
Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and stop fraudsters:
* Make sure the URL domain on the given page is correct, and click on any images and links to verify that you are directed to proper pages within the site. For example, the URL is http://yourbankname.com/ or, for even more security, https://yourbankname.com/. Although some links may appear to contain ‘yourbankname.com,’ you may be redirected to another site after entering such addresses into your browser.
* Always look for the closed lock icon in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window whenever you enter any private information, including your password.
* Check the message headers. The ‘From:’ field is easily manipulated to show a false sender name. Learn how to view headers.
* If you’re still uncertain, contact the organization from which the message appears to be sent. Don’t use the reply address in the message, since it can be forged. Instead, visit the official website of the company in question, and find a different contact address.
* If you enter your account or personal information as the result of a spoof or phishing message, take action quickly. Send a copy of the message header and the entire text of the message to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov. If you entered credit card or bank account numbers, contact your financial institution. If you think you may be the victim of identity theft, contact your local police.
vikas aswal said,
June 12, 2007 @ 1:23 am
i got this mail from msn_agent@atmail.com. in reply of the mail now i got another mail which is shown below this mail.
Microsoft Award Team
20 Craven Park, Harlesden
London NW10
United Kingdom
Ref: BTD/968/05
Batch: 409978E
Dear Lucky Winner,
WINNING NOTIFICATION
The prestigious Micrsoft and aol has set out and sucessfully organised a Sweepstakes marking the new year 2007 anniversary we rolled out over £5,000.000.00 (Five million Great Britain Pounds) for our end of year Anniversary Draws. Participants for the draws were randomly selected and drawn from a wide range of web hosts which we enjoy their patronage.
The selection was made through a computer draw system attaching personalised email addresses to ticket numbers. If you ignore this, you will regret it later. Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet companies and in an effort to make sure that Internet Explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test.
Your email address as indicated was drawn and attached to ticket number 008795727498 with serial numbers BTD/90806 48302/06 and drew the lucky numbers 14-21-25-39-40-47(20) which subsequently won you £500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds) as one of the 10 jackpot winners in this draw. You have therefore won the entire winning sum of £500, 000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds). The draws registered as Draw number one was conducted in Brockley, London United Kingdom on June 2007. These Draws are commemorative and as such special.
Please be informed by this winning notification,to file your claims,you are to make contact with your designated agent who shall by duty guide you through the process to facilitate the release of your prize.To file for your claim Please Contact your fiduciary agent
Mr Mark Jordan
Microsoft Promotion Award Team
Email: msnagentmark@yahoo.co.uk
Phone:+447-0111-49238
Fax:+44-709-2866-251
You are advised to contact your fiduciary agent with the following details to avoid unnecessary delays and complications: Your Name (in Full), Country, Ticket Numbers, Batch Number, Serial Number,Lucky Numbers as indicated in this winning Notification and Phone numbers.Thank you for being part of this promotional award program.
Our special thanks and gratitude to Bill Gates and his associates. We wish you the
best of luck as you spend your good fortune.Thank you for being part of our commemorative new year Anniversary Draws.
Sincerely,
Dr.Vickers Morgan
Microsoft Promotion Team
2. this is the second mail which i got in reply of the first mail
Microsoft Award Team
20 Craven Park, Harlesden
London NW10
United Kingdom
Ref: BTD/968/05
Batch: 409978E
Dear Winner,
How are you today? I got your email notification on how you are to claim your winnings from the Microsoft Team Word Organisation. You are advise to make contact with the legal adviser to the Microsoft lottery Organisation with the details below:
YOUR FULL NAMES:
OCCUPATION:
NATIONALITY:
COUNTRY:
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
MODE OF FUNDS RECEPTION:
GENDER:
AGE:
Contact Name: Barrister Larry Anderson
Email: larry.anderson_chambers@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: +44-701-114-6812
Fax: +44-709-288-1608
Please as soon as you make contact with him, he shall furnish you with every details you are required to know regarding the claiming of your won funds.
Best Regards,
Mr. Mark Jordan
Microsoft Promotion Award Team
Email: msnagentmark@yahoo.co.uk
Phone:+447-0111-49238
Fax:+44-709-2866-251
jason said,
September 23, 2007 @ 7:36 pm
i had received an email almost identical to yours about this microsoft thing and i replied back to them and now they want money to deliver my package via courier does anybody know if this is real
Bob Barrett said,
October 19, 2007 @ 3:31 am
No, duh… what they want is your money and you won’t get any of theirs. I used to play games with these kind of guys just to drive them crazy. Like I’d tell them to deduct the courier charges from my winnings and keep an extra thousand for their trouble. Of course they would say they could not do that. Save your money, time and grief. If it was real, they could pay for their own courier services.
Noreen Haider said,
October 30, 2007 @ 1:56 am
I recieved this mail saying that I have won a million pounds. Can someone please do something about these people playing around.
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CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WON MICROSOFT AWARD PROMO 2007!!
From: Microsoft Award Promotion (microsoft_award@fresnomail.com)
Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 6:31:17 AM
To: henryomon12@yahoo.com
Microsoft Award Team20 Craven Park, HarlesdenLondon NW10United KingdomRef: BTD/969/07Batch:59978EDDate:28/10/2007 Dear Winner, WINNING NOTIFICATION The prestigious Microsoft and Aol has set out andsucessfully organised a Sweepstakes marking the new year2007 anniversary we rolled out over ? £1,000,000.00 (Onemillion Great Britain Pounds) for our end of yearAnniversary Draws. Participants for the draws were randomlyselected and drawn from a wide range of web hosts which weenjoy their patronage. The selection was made through a computer draw systemattaching personalised email addresses to ticket numbers. Ifyou ignore this, you will regret it later. Microsoft and AOLare now the largest Internet companies and in an effort tomake sure that Internet Explorer remains the most widelyused program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test. Your email address as indicated was drawn and attached toticket number 008795727498 with serial numbersBTD/9080648302/06 and drew the lucky numbers14-21-25-39-40-47(20) which subsequently won you£1,000,000.00 (One Million Great Britain Pounds) as one ofthe 10 jackpot winners in this draw. You have therefore wonthe entire winning sum of £1,000,000.00 (One Million GreatBritain Pounds). The draws registered as Draw number one wasconducted in Brockley, London United Kingdom on the 28th ofOctober 2007. These Draws are commemorative and as such special. Please be informed by this winning notification, to fileyour claims, you are to make contact with your designatedagent who shall by duty guide you through the process tofacilitate the release of your prize.To file for your claimPlease Contact your fiduciary agent Mr.Williams KelvinMicrosoft Promotion Award TeamEmail:msnagent_williamskelvin@yahoo.co.uk You are advised to contact your fiduciary agent with thefollowing details to avoid unnecessary delays and complications: Your Full NamesCountryTicket NumbersBatch NumberSerial NumberLucky Numbers as indicated in this winning Notification and Phonenumbers.Thank you for being part of this promotional awardprogram. Our special thanks and gratitude to Bill Gates and hisassociates.We wish you the best of luck as you spend yourgood fortune.Thank you for being part of our commemorativenew year Anniversary Draws. Sincerely,Dr. Bryan McDonaldMicrosoft Promotion Team……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………This email and its attachments are confidential and intendedfor the exclusive use of the addressee(s). This email andits attachments may also be privileged or protected by legalrules. If you have received this by mistake please let usknow by reply immediately and destroy the email and itsattachments without reading, copying or forwarding the contents.© 2007 Microsoft MSNCorporation. All rights reserved. Sent by [CompanyName] Mail
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© 2007 Microsoft Privacy Legal Help Central Account Feedback
Then another from Solicitors LArry. Anderson
Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:45:31 +0000
From: larry.andersons_chamber@yahoo.co.uk
Subject: I need your urgent response to this email!
To: noreenh111@hotmail.com
Larry Anderson
Solicitors and Advocates
Barrister Larry Anderson
email: larry.anderson_chambers@yahoo.co.uk
Tel:+44-701-113-5787
Fax:+44-708-288-1208
Attention: Noreen,
I received your complain that you won 1 million Great Britain Pounds and Mr. Willaims Kelvin said you can only claim 500 pouds that is not true.
You won I million Great Britain Pounds and it must be sent to you via any option you wich to receive your wining parcel. We have retified the problem, it was only an error and we are really sorry about that.
To proceed, you are trquired to provide the details below:
1)Your telephone numbers
2)Amount Won: 1 million pounds sterling
3)Ref No: BTD/969/07
4)Batch No:59978ED
5)Transfer Code: BLX28/AT466
6)Mode of Payment:Accounts payee
7)Country: Pakistan
8)Occupation:Journalist
9)Scan Copy of your identity:
Waiting to hear from you urgently.
Best Regards
Larry Anderson
Solicitors and Advocates
larry.anderson_chambers@yahoo.co.uk
Tel:+44-701-113-5787
Fax:+44-708-288-1208
What is the story behind this ????????????
Nguyen An Khang said,
December 4, 2007 @ 2:29 am
I received a email from Microsoft Award Team is won 500,000,00 GBP and said contact Mr. Richard Aderson. that’s the truth.
Nguyen An Khang said,
December 4, 2007 @ 2:41 am
I got a email in mail said me won 500,000,00 GBP. Is that the truth????
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: msn_promo201@comcast.net
Date: Nov 9, 2007 12:50 AM
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!! YOUR EMAIL EMERGED WINNER IN THE MICROSOFT AWARD PROMO 2007.
To:
Microsoft Award Team
20 Craven Park, Harlesden
London NW10
United Kingdom
Ref: BTD/969/07
Batch: 59978ED
Lucky Winner,
WINNING NOTIFICATION
The prestigious Microsoft and aol has set out and sucessfully organised a Sweepstakes marking end of the year 2007 anniversary we rolled out over ?£10,000.000.00 (Ten million Great Britain Pounds) for our end of year Anniversary Draws. Participants for the draws were randomly selected and drawn from a wide range of web hosts which we enjoy their patronage.
Your email address as indicated was drawn and attached to ticket number 0087955827499 with serial numbers BTD/0080648302/07 and drew the lucky numbers 14-21-30-39-40-47(31) which subsequently won you £500.000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds) as one of the 10 jackpot winners in this draw.
To file for your claim Please Contact your fiduciary agent
Mr. Richard Anderson
Microsoft Promotion Award Team
Email: msn_verification_agent111@yahoo.co.uk
msnclaimsagent111@yahoo.co.uk
Phone: +44-704-573-7079
Fax: +44-702-407-2705
You are advised to contact your fiduciary agent with the following details to avoid unnecessary delays and complications:
1. Your Full Names
2. Country&Address
3. Ref: Numbers
4. Batch Number
5. Phone/fax
6. Age / Marital Status
7.Occupation/ position/ Years of Experience
8.mode of fund reception……courier…..or…..bank transfer……
as indicated in this winning Notification and Phone numbers.
Congratulations from the Staffs & Members of the interative Lotteries Board Commission ;
Sincerely,
Dr. Rose A. Allen
Microsoft Promotion Team
Hailey Kidd said,
January 6, 2008 @ 11:18 pm
This Larry Anderson is a real scumbag!! Please don’t fall for this junk like I did. i am 14 years old and was so excited to win this kind of money. It broke my heart.
Hege Skeide said,
March 18, 2008 @ 2:30 pm
I have also recived this kind of email and if it`s a scam or not for real why don`t we go to the police and make a complain,I will do that to mae sure that others like me don`t recive this type of Email again.I dispice it!
aires said,
April 14, 2008 @ 5:25 pm
Tambem recebi emails semelhantes e é necesário que haja uma proibição do envio de tais emails por serem fraudulentos.
Pwhndvve said,
August 9, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
Rimsky went the dazzlingly buy cytotec then announced daughters.