Real Life Examples Of Spam Messages And How To Identify Them
I removed all links for security cause remember... these are REAL spam - I received in my Inbox.
Lottery Scam Email
SIGNS this is fake:
* I never played lottery. This is quite easy to understand that it is a scam.
* Email starts with Dear Prize Winner, but not my real name.
Subject of email:
VWD E-Lottery Result
From:
James Smith.
Email message:
VWD E-Lottery Headquarters:
Customers Service
P.O BOX 1010,
LIVERPOOL, L70 1NL
UNITED KINGDOM
Ref: VBL/9450Z4/06
Batch: 11/23/0106
2nd April, 2007
Dear Prize Winner,
We happily announce to you the draw of the VWD E-Lottery programs held on the 2nd of April, 2007 in London.Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 304 238748 541 with Serial number 347/06 drew the lucky numbers: 15-25-29-35-39-40 and jackpot number 11, which won you the VWD Online E-Lottery Games. You are therefore, been approved to claim a total sum of ��2,686,952.00(Two Million, Six Hundred and Eighty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Two British Pounds Sterling) in cash credited to file DRP/5080442405/0607.
Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our European booklet representative office in Europe as indicated in our play coupon. In view of this, your ��2,686,952.00(Two Million, Six Hundred and Eighty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Two British Pounds sterling) would be released to you by our affiliate bank in London.
Our agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds to you as soon as you make contact with him.
All participants were selected randomly from World Wide Web site through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 companies.This promotion takes place annually. For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential till your claims is processed and your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to claim your prize. This is to avoid double claims amongst other anticipated glitches that may and could lead to your prize being diverted. Please be warned.
To file for your claim, below is a copy of our Verification Form, please fill accordingly so as to proceed with your winnings. Note that you are to fill and send the informations below to your Fiduciary agent (Mr. Kelvin Fisher) for immediate release of your funds.
WINNERS CLAIM FORM
First Name:.........................
..
Middle Name............................
Last Name:.............................
Home Address:..........................
Phone Number:..........................
Country:...............................
Sex:...................................
Status:................................
Occupation:............................
WINNING INFORMATION:
Reference Number:......................
Batch Number:..........................
Serial Number:.........................
Amount Won:............................
Email:................................
AGENT: Kelvin Fisher
CGS Services Ltd
133 Hillfield Lane
Stretton, Burton on Trent
Staffordshire, DE13 0BL, UK
Email: agentkelvinfisher07@yahoo.co.uk
Phone: +44 704 571 5729
To avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please quote your reference/batch numbers in any correspondences with us or our designated agent. Congratulations once more from all members and staffs of this program.
Sincerely,
James Smith.
Online Coordinator.
------------------------------------------
eBay Scam Email
Notice that Gmail did block the images which may also include links for security. A message was also displayed in red that this is a dangerous email.
SIGNS this is fake:
* First I never sold to that user so this is easy to figure out it is fake. I never sold anything at all yet and this spammer is thanking me for fast shipping.
* Real eBay messages will start with Dear (and lists your real name or username)
* Gmail placed a big red warning message on top of email - (not shown below)
Subject of email:
Re: Message about shipping for item: #2070651641
From:
member : bcole822
Email message:
eBay sent this message.
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay. Learn more.
Question about Item -- Respond Now
eBay sent this message on behalf of an eBay member through My Messages. Responses sent using email will go to the eBay member directly and will include your email address.
Question from bcole822
bcole822( 18)
Positive feedback: 100%
Member since: Oct-10-05
Location: SC, United States
Registered on: www.ebay.com
tem: Angel Figurine with a Dove (2070651641)
This message was sent after the listing closed.
bcole822 is a winner.
Thank you for shipping so fast!! I will be sure to leave feedback as soon as I receive the figurine.. Have a great day!
Respond to this question
Respond Now
Responses in My Messages will not include your email address.
Details for item number: 2070651641
Item URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200023943812&sspagename=ADME:B:AAQ:US:1
End date: Monday,Mar 26,2007 16:36:44 PDT
Learn how you can protect yourself from spoof (fake) emails at:
http://pages.ebay.com/education/spooftutorial
This eBay notice was sent to you on behalf of another eBay member through the eBay platform and in accordance with our Privacy Policy. If you would like to receive this email in text format, change your notification preferences.
See our Privacy Policy and User Agreement if you have questions about eBay's communication policies.
Privacy Policy: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/privacy-policy.html
User Agreement: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/user-agreement.html
Copyright �� 2006 eBay, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.
eBay and the eBay logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of eBay, Inc.
eBay is located at 2145 Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125.
------------------------------------------
Paypal Scam Email
Note: Paypal is a company that allows members send and receive money online. Even if you never joined paypal you may still receive these scams.
SIGNS this is fake:
* The email starts with "Dear PayPal user"
Subject of email:
Receipt for your payment with PayPal
From:
service@paypal.com
Email message:
Dear PayPal user,
This email confirms that you have sent a pending payment to Apache Software Foundation (contributions@apache.org) $20.00 USD using PayPal.
To cancel this payment please Click Here !
Payment Details
Transaction ID: 2FY21731NC784612G
Item Price: $20.00 USD
Total: $20.00 USD
Order Description: The Apache Software Foundation
Payment status : Pending
Business Information
Business: Apache Software Foundation
Contact E-Mail: contributions@apache.org
If you have questions about the shipping and tracking of your purchased item or service, please contact Apache Software Foundation at contributions@apache.org.
Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team
------------------------------------------
Another real life example of a scam:
New Phishing Scam Pretending to be eBay:
Today I received an email claiming to be from an eBay member (the sender's email address was: member@eBay.com) accusing me of bidding on, winning, and not paying for an eBay item. Not only had I NOT BID on the item, I had not been on eBay in several months, and had not registered the email address it came to with eBay.
When I followed the "respond now" link provided in the email message (the message looked authentic, and for all intents and purposes appeared to have originated from eBay) I was redirected to what IE 7 reported to be "a reported known phishing web site". At that point, I closed the window and went to eBay's home page.
I contacted their "live help" and after a 30 minute chat session, I found out that the email address is not registered with - nor did the email come from - eBay. I was told to contact their Trust and Safety department, and did so. Please do not follow the "respond now" link in any similar email message that you may receive.
I do not know what type of information the person sending these messages is trying to aquire, but I am certain that it would not be good if they manage to get your personal information. If you do receive a similar email, contact eBay's Trust and Safety department, and let them help you.
I still do not know how they got my email address, as it is not even the one that I am registered on eBay with. Beware of these Fake Emails! They can't be good news...
Lottery Scam Email
SIGNS this is fake:
* I never played lottery. This is quite easy to understand that it is a scam.
* Email starts with Dear Prize Winner, but not my real name.
Subject of email:
VWD E-Lottery Result
From:
James Smith.
Email message:
VWD E-Lottery Headquarters:
Customers Service
P.O BOX 1010,
LIVERPOOL, L70 1NL
UNITED KINGDOM
Ref: VBL/9450Z4/06
Batch: 11/23/0106
2nd April, 2007
Dear Prize Winner,
We happily announce to you the draw of the VWD E-Lottery programs held on the 2nd of April, 2007 in London.Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 304 238748 541 with Serial number 347/06 drew the lucky numbers: 15-25-29-35-39-40 and jackpot number 11, which won you the VWD Online E-Lottery Games. You are therefore, been approved to claim a total sum of ��2,686,952.00(Two Million, Six Hundred and Eighty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Two British Pounds Sterling) in cash credited to file DRP/5080442405/0607.
Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our European booklet representative office in Europe as indicated in our play coupon. In view of this, your ��2,686,952.00(Two Million, Six Hundred and Eighty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Two British Pounds sterling) would be released to you by our affiliate bank in London.
Our agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds to you as soon as you make contact with him.
All participants were selected randomly from World Wide Web site through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 companies.This promotion takes place annually. For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential till your claims is processed and your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to claim your prize. This is to avoid double claims amongst other anticipated glitches that may and could lead to your prize being diverted. Please be warned.
To file for your claim, below is a copy of our Verification Form, please fill accordingly so as to proceed with your winnings. Note that you are to fill and send the informations below to your Fiduciary agent (Mr. Kelvin Fisher) for immediate release of your funds.
WINNERS CLAIM FORM
First Name:.........................
..
Middle Name............................
Last Name:.............................
Home Address:..........................
Phone Number:..........................
Country:...............................
Sex:...................................
Status:................................
Occupation:............................
WINNING INFORMATION:
Reference Number:......................
Batch Number:..........................
Serial Number:.........................
Amount Won:............................
Email:................................
AGENT: Kelvin Fisher
CGS Services Ltd
133 Hillfield Lane
Stretton, Burton on Trent
Staffordshire, DE13 0BL, UK
Email: agentkelvinfisher07@yahoo.co.uk
Phone: +44 704 571 5729
To avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please quote your reference/batch numbers in any correspondences with us or our designated agent. Congratulations once more from all members and staffs of this program.
Sincerely,
James Smith.
Online Coordinator.
------------------------------------------
eBay Scam Email
Notice that Gmail did block the images which may also include links for security. A message was also displayed in red that this is a dangerous email.
SIGNS this is fake:
* First I never sold to that user so this is easy to figure out it is fake. I never sold anything at all yet and this spammer is thanking me for fast shipping.
* Real eBay messages will start with Dear (and lists your real name or username)
* Gmail placed a big red warning message on top of email - (not shown below)
Subject of email:
Re: Message about shipping for item: #2070651641
From:
member : bcole822
Email message:
eBay sent this message.
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay. Learn more.
Question about Item -- Respond Now
eBay sent this message on behalf of an eBay member through My Messages. Responses sent using email will go to the eBay member directly and will include your email address.
Question from bcole822
bcole822( 18)
Positive feedback: 100%
Member since: Oct-10-05
Location: SC, United States
Registered on: www.ebay.com
tem: Angel Figurine with a Dove (2070651641)
This message was sent after the listing closed.
bcole822 is a winner.
Thank you for shipping so fast!! I will be sure to leave feedback as soon as I receive the figurine.. Have a great day!
Respond to this question
Respond Now
Responses in My Messages will not include your email address.
Details for item number: 2070651641
Item URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200023943812&sspagename=ADME:B:AAQ:US:1
End date: Monday,Mar 26,2007 16:36:44 PDT
Learn how you can protect yourself from spoof (fake) emails at:
http://pages.ebay.com/education/spooftutorial
This eBay notice was sent to you on behalf of another eBay member through the eBay platform and in accordance with our Privacy Policy. If you would like to receive this email in text format, change your notification preferences.
See our Privacy Policy and User Agreement if you have questions about eBay's communication policies.
Privacy Policy: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/privacy-policy.html
User Agreement: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/user-agreement.html
Copyright �� 2006 eBay, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.
eBay and the eBay logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of eBay, Inc.
eBay is located at 2145 Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125.
------------------------------------------
Paypal Scam Email
Note: Paypal is a company that allows members send and receive money online. Even if you never joined paypal you may still receive these scams.
SIGNS this is fake:
* The email starts with "Dear PayPal user"
Subject of email:
Receipt for your payment with PayPal
From:
service@paypal.com
Email message:
Dear PayPal user,
This email confirms that you have sent a pending payment to Apache Software Foundation (contributions@apache.org) $20.00 USD using PayPal.
To cancel this payment please Click Here !
Payment Details
Transaction ID: 2FY21731NC784612G
Item Price: $20.00 USD
Total: $20.00 USD
Order Description: The Apache Software Foundation
Payment status : Pending
Business Information
Business: Apache Software Foundation
Contact E-Mail: contributions@apache.org
If you have questions about the shipping and tracking of your purchased item or service, please contact Apache Software Foundation at contributions@apache.org.
Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team
------------------------------------------
Another real life example of a scam:
New Phishing Scam Pretending to be eBay:
Today I received an email claiming to be from an eBay member (the sender's email address was: member@eBay.com) accusing me of bidding on, winning, and not paying for an eBay item. Not only had I NOT BID on the item, I had not been on eBay in several months, and had not registered the email address it came to with eBay.
When I followed the "respond now" link provided in the email message (the message looked authentic, and for all intents and purposes appeared to have originated from eBay) I was redirected to what IE 7 reported to be "a reported known phishing web site". At that point, I closed the window and went to eBay's home page.
I contacted their "live help" and after a 30 minute chat session, I found out that the email address is not registered with - nor did the email come from - eBay. I was told to contact their Trust and Safety department, and did so. Please do not follow the "respond now" link in any similar email message that you may receive.
I do not know what type of information the person sending these messages is trying to aquire, but I am certain that it would not be good if they manage to get your personal information. If you do receive a similar email, contact eBay's Trust and Safety department, and let them help you.
I still do not know how they got my email address, as it is not even the one that I am registered on eBay with. Beware of these Fake Emails! They can't be good news...
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