Spam email

[Tizer]

Have there been any suggestions from the veggies?

If the word spam is being used to represent ubiquity then perhaps avocado would suffice for veggies?

[PanBiker]

Back on topic, I have just spent the last five minutes unsubscribing from various sites that are flooding my email. I must have either missed or ticked the wrong box at some point. I have batted away, resin patio's, three different offers of private medical insurance for you name it I can get it! Also electrical goods that I don't need or have no interest in and two different firms that want to write a will for me, (missed the boat, I already have one)! I did notice that at least four were from the same source but in different categories. I will probably get more but will deal with them as and when they arrive.

[Stanley]

Annoying little jobs that simply waste time. Hard luck Ian.

[PanBiker]

The alert was that they all came at once, within about a minute. Sure fire sign that an automated server routine has arrived at my email address. It interrupted my post in the amateur radio thread, how very dare it!

[Stanley]

I think I have just had a spam email purporting to come from Post Canada telling me I have missed a delivery and need to send a small fee by clicking on a link.
Pull the other one.....

[PanBiker]

Back on topic after our short session off piste.

I received an email this morning supposedly from Royal Mail. It's encouraging me to book a re delivery date. It's quite good as far as scam emails go, right banner and branding, right colours and all the information at the footer is correct. I can easily see how this will fool some folk.

Firefox will have none of it, it puts a "potential fraud" block page up iF you try to open the link. I already knew that of course because I haven't ordered anything lately so no deliveries expected. Unless of course a random unknown benefactor is trying to send me a box of £50 notes!

Anyway it's toast, beware!

[plaques]

Received today.

D&G (Domestic & General Insurance).
Relax, we've got you covered.

Thanks, that's good to know. E-mail now in the bin. What else can one do?

[Stanley]

I heard a report on the radio that levels of spam and phishing are rising as inflation bites.

[Tizer]

Not email but a phone call. I didn't respond and looked up the number, 01722656809. It's a scam. Who Called

[Big Kev]

Since activating the TalkTalk call screening I've not had any unsolicited calls. My mobile seems to do a good job of recognizing them too.

[PanBiker]

I'm the same Kev, the Talk Talk call screening works very well. I'm with EE on my mobile and they filter and tag incomming calls, easy to block as well.

[Tizer]

The one I got today was the first on my present phone. Mrs Tiz has had a few over the years because she uses her phone more than me but they were always flagged up as possibly scam.

[Stanley]

Despite safeguards enough must be getting through to make sending them worthwhile.....

[Big Kev]

Action Fraud is warning the public about a sharp rise in reports relating to fake emails purporting to be from Ofgem, the independent energy regulator for Great Britain. The emails claim that the recipient is due a rebate payment as part of a government scheme and provides links for the recipient to follow in order to apply for the rebate. The links in the emails lead to malicious websites designed to steal personal and financial information.

Between Monday 22nd August 2022 and Monday 5th September 2022, a total of 1,567 phishing emails related to this scam have been reported via the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS). All the emails display the email subject header “Claim your bill rebate now”. Offenders are using the Ofgem brand logo and colours to make the emails look as authentic as possible. However, the emails ask recipients to “apply for an energy bill rebate before September 2020”, which is what prompted many recipients to realise the emails weren’t genuine.

[Stanley]

Aren't they crafty buggers.... They know exactly which button to press.
Perhaps worth mentioning that if you pay by direct debit, as far as I know, you don't have to claim any of the help, it's automatic.

[Tizer]

Action Fraud is warning the public about a sharp rise in reports relating to fake emails purporting to be from Ofgem...

We can add to that HMRC, DVLA, NHS etc.

[Stanley]

Nothing is safe as far as they are concerned.
Globally malicious emails are reckoned to cost $20billion a year and rising. Remember when the saying 'Data is the new gold' appeared? Perhaps this is one of the side effects....

[Big Kev]

Not an email, a text message. Another attempted scam.

Screenshot_20220920-110916_Facebook.jpg

[Stanley]

I haven't had that one but I've had a repetition of the Talktalk scam. (Twice)

[Tizer]

Last night we received an example of the `You have an outstanding payment' scam email which has been going around for many years. Put the words into google to see details. The message we received was very long and detailed, I suppose to make it seem more convincing.

[Stanley]

I can't say whether I have had mail like that or not as I employ the precautionary principle. If I don't recognise it I delete without opening. The junk filters are so much better than they used to be and I get very few these days. Can you remember when they were all penis enlargement? Have they stopped now or am I excused them on the grounds of age?

[plaques]

Telephone call, Hallo I'm XXXXX from BT we have notice a number of internet connections which may be other people using your connection.

Me, What is BT doing checking my internet usage.

Listen I'm from BT we have detected usage,,,

Me. Getting very animated with increased volume. No you listen, I could care a .... and BT have no business monitoring my usage. This is a scam. Goodbye,

[Stanley]

I try not to converse with the scammer if I get tricked into a voice call I hang up but occasionally end up speaking to them. If I do I always ask them if their mother knows they are stealing money off strangers....
I agree Ken about the intrusion if it was BT, it seems a very inept scam to me as it would automatically make people angry.

[Stanley]

Beware of emails purporting to give you advice about power cuts. They are spam. I very nearly fell for it!

[Pluggy]

I take it a stage further, if I'm not expecting an email or text message, I'll either completely ignore it or verify its source by another means. A phone call from an unknown number I might answer it and then say "If you are whom you claim to be there will be no problem contacting me in writing" unsurprisingly I never get mail from said party querying why I wouldn't speak to them on the phone.......