Forum Topic

Warning of virus in email purporting to come from UPS

I just came home to one of these... Apparently if you open the attachment that comes with an email about an unsuccessful parcel delivery, you lay your system open to a virus.I did but haven't found the damage yet.The advice from UPS is to delete without opening the attachment

Sara Nathan ● 6652d9 Comments

I got that one last night but just deleted it. Luckily I was on the ball at that particular moment.

Peter Wright ● 6652d

I wasn't - there's a lot of parcels to-ing and fro-ing at the moment...But my virus defences were, luckily, all professionally updated yesterday and I haven't found any damage yet.The attachment wouldn't open so maybe that helped - or maybe the nasties are still lurking in the computer undergrowth.

Sara Nathan ● 6652d

Off thread slightly but very similar. A card is left at your house, stating that a parcel was to be delivered, and to contact a given phone number, which is always engaged as well as being a premium rate number............beware!

Account suspended ● 6652d

That one generally happens in December when lots of people expect parcels. I have been on panels at PhonepayPlus (was ICSTIS) the premium rate phone regulator, where we have fined people lots of money for doing this. It's a brazen fraud.

Sara Nathan ● 6651d

Wow, this stuff's scarey. Recently, I've had a few emails purporting to come from banks - Nat West, HSBC and the like - asking me as a valued customer for details of my account. I'm not and never have been customers of these banks!  Needless to say, I binned them.I'm also getting fed up with phone calls, when a recorded and persuasive voice tells me I've won a first prize of a luxury cruise in the Caribbean and would I give some details to collect my prize!  I hate these calls as much as I detest cruises. In fact, a first prize of a luxury cruise is like saying to me that the second prize of a luxury cruise would be to be given two luxury cruises!

Gerry Tan ● 6651d

I'm confused: if the premium-rate number is always engaged, how can it cost anything?

Susan Kelly ● 6651d

Actually this is a pretty clever addition to any particular scam - though I think I have only actually seen it on a phone vote line - and well before the recent scandals. So the fraudster records a specific tone and when you ring you hear that - though it's on a live line. Only profitable on an engaged tone if you are pricing through what is known as a drop-charge ie a specific amount per call as opposed to per minute. The clever thing is that with an engaged tone, you are likely to ring back several times - incurring the drop charge each time. Creative, no?

Sara Nathan ● 6651d

If these people would only use their powers for good ...

Susan Kelly ● 6650d

My last panel for ICSTIS/PhonepayPlus is tomorrow - after six years. So I will no longer have the inside track on the latest ways to fleece the unwary consumer.

Sara Nathan ● 6650d