Early one evening the week before Christmas I decided to check my emails for a confirmation of hotel reservations for our upcoming trip to visit our son, DIL and 1 year old granddaughter in Missouri. I surfed my way through tons of pre-Christmas last minute email sales and a variety of the usual e-clutter and found our room reservation and an email from our son.
I opened my son's email and clicked on the link “You gotta see this!” Too late!!! Not from my son; link to some mock site. I called son to advise him that someone had breached his email account and ended up getting a lecture about how I should not have opened the link on the bogus email. I calmly advised my son that in the future he should provide corroboration for any email he sends with a registered letter, follow up cell phone text message and additional electronic verbal communication.
It gets worse: When I returned home from a nice Christmas visit to Missouri I checked my email and found that someone had accessed my EBay account that I used once in 2005. There were messages from EBay and blocked attempts to purchase items as well as some attempts that did not get blocked.
And even more frustrating was contacting EBay. I knew enough to not click on any additional email links even though they appeared to be from legitimate senders so I called EBay customer support. I managed to get connected with the EBay version of “Peggy”. Every response included a broken English statement, “Oh, I see”. “Peggy” did not SEE that the directions I was given to cancel my EBay account involved clicking a button which would allow EBay to call me with a PIN number to enter to begin the process and they could not call while “Peggy” was on the phone with me. I repeatedly told “Peggy” that if I clicked the button they would get a busy signal and I would not get the PIN necessary because she was on the phone with me already. “Oh, I see”! I rustled some cellophane in the phone and hung up on “Peggy” and proceeded to get rid of EBay on my own. They have a 180 day wait period to make sure all transactions clear so EBay is still on my watch list.
I had over 1000 undeliverable emails returned on my email account that is being used to send out bogus phishing expeditions. I called Roadrunner and was advised to delete the emails and change my password. If there are over 1000 emails that did not get delivered how many would you think were delivered? How many people think Berferd is a phisherman? Almost longing for the days of a clay tablet and abacus.
Edit to add: I have also received emails from PayPal and Bank of America advising attempts of illegal activity. I do not have PayPal or BOA.
BeRFErD
I opened my son's email and clicked on the link “You gotta see this!” Too late!!! Not from my son; link to some mock site. I called son to advise him that someone had breached his email account and ended up getting a lecture about how I should not have opened the link on the bogus email. I calmly advised my son that in the future he should provide corroboration for any email he sends with a registered letter, follow up cell phone text message and additional electronic verbal communication.
It gets worse: When I returned home from a nice Christmas visit to Missouri I checked my email and found that someone had accessed my EBay account that I used once in 2005. There were messages from EBay and blocked attempts to purchase items as well as some attempts that did not get blocked.
And even more frustrating was contacting EBay. I knew enough to not click on any additional email links even though they appeared to be from legitimate senders so I called EBay customer support. I managed to get connected with the EBay version of “Peggy”. Every response included a broken English statement, “Oh, I see”. “Peggy” did not SEE that the directions I was given to cancel my EBay account involved clicking a button which would allow EBay to call me with a PIN number to enter to begin the process and they could not call while “Peggy” was on the phone with me. I repeatedly told “Peggy” that if I clicked the button they would get a busy signal and I would not get the PIN necessary because she was on the phone with me already. “Oh, I see”! I rustled some cellophane in the phone and hung up on “Peggy” and proceeded to get rid of EBay on my own. They have a 180 day wait period to make sure all transactions clear so EBay is still on my watch list.
I had over 1000 undeliverable emails returned on my email account that is being used to send out bogus phishing expeditions. I called Roadrunner and was advised to delete the emails and change my password. If there are over 1000 emails that did not get delivered how many would you think were delivered? How many people think Berferd is a phisherman? Almost longing for the days of a clay tablet and abacus.
Edit to add: I have also received emails from PayPal and Bank of America advising attempts of illegal activity. I do not have PayPal or BOA.
BeRFErD
