Ebay, PayPal "Phishing" Rant

[Chuck S.]

It appears that pond scum has dusted off my email address again...I've had two emails in the last week claiming to be from PayPal. The email indicates that unusual activity has been occuring in my account, and that I should confirm all my information at the supplied link (not Paypal), or they will close my account by January 5. Ooooo...Take your best shot, I sez...I haven't used that account but maybe once in two years. It's not the first time I've heard from these maggots, and nothing happened the last time I ignored them.

Let's all put our federal tax dollars to work...After COMFIRMING that email in your inbox is BOGUS by consulting either PayPal, eBay, or other named institution, file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center. I have also have gotten email supposedly from Wells Fargo and Citizens banks, so this stuff must be rampant. The FBI has a site dedicated to internet crime...see the link below. Maybe if these scumbags are in Florida, we can send them to a government "resort" sans internet access. Unfortunately, they are probably offshore trying to con "stupid Americans".




FBI Internet Fraud Complaint Center

[Clem Z.]

i get them and i do not have a ebay account *NM*

[Chuck S.]

It's A Blanket Mailing...

The perpetrators don't have any idea if address holders have an account or not...they're justing throwing out a line to see if someone will bite on it. Maybe that's why they call it "phishing". I have never even heard of Citizens Bank, and I have received email about my "account" with them.

If you happen to have an account with the named institution, and are gullible, you will follow instructions to click on the link, and give them your account number, your credit card number, etc. These mailings look exactly like they were sent from legitimate institutions, with some duplicating the font, icons, and style perfectly. Mis-spelled words and poor grammar are sometimes a tip-off that they are bogus.

[Dale S.]

Re: It's A Blanket Mailing...

Many thanks for FBI site. I have turned at least 10 (ebay, paypal etc) false request for info. to ebay spoof. I get a thank you and noting is done. Now I will do this. Dale

[Dave F.]

Thanks for the link!!

Hopefully I'll never have to use it, but I sure appreciate knowing there is an avenue to file a complaint if necessary. Thanks for posting this.

[Mike Cobine]

Re: Ebay, PayPal "Phishing" Rant

How right you are, Chuck. eBay and the others do nothing, but you turn them into the feds, they disappear real quickly.

I had some porn operation forging one of my email addresses to send out garbage a couple of years ago. I opened the mail, tracked down the site, did a check on the registration of the site, and turned it all in. After all, he was stealing my ID (my email), claiming to be me, and I turned it in as ID theft on http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp, which I think was the site you listed, and within a couple of days, that guy's site was gone, and his phone disconnected.

It wasn't quite as satisfying as driving to Cocoa Beach and using a ball bat on his head, but I'm sure he was not ready for what came his way. His Internet registration had him open for nearly a year, a check in Cocoa showed his business open for about the same time, so I don't think he was a fly-by-night for a few days until splitting. I think they shut him down.

http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp