Fred Stewart
10-17-2007, 04:41 AM
Folks,
I received the following email the other day:Hello (my email address),
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
Your bank has contacted us regarding some attempts of charges from your credit card via the Amazon system. We have reasons to believe that you changed your registration information or that someone else has unauthorized access to your Amazon account Due to recent activity, including possible unauthorized listings placed on your account, we will require a second confirmation of your identity with us in order to allow us to investigate this matter further. Your account is not suspended, but if in 48 hours after you receive this message your account is not confirmed we reserve the right to suspend your Amazon registration. If you received this notice and you are not the authorized account holder, please be aware that it is in violation of Amazon policy to represent oneself as another Amazon user. Such action may also be in violation of local, national, and/or international law. Amazon is committed to assist law enforcement with any inquires related to attempts to misappropriate personal information with the intent to commit fraud or theft. Information will be provided at the request of law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
To confirm your identity with us click here:
(link removed)
After responding to the message, we ask that you allow at least 72 hours for the case to be investigated. Emailing us before that time will result in delays. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause you and we would like to thank you for your cooperation as we review this matter.
Thank you for your interest in selling at Amazon.com.
Amazon.com Customer Service
http://www.amazon.com
This message and any files or documents attached may contain classified information. It is intended only for the individual or entity named and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive it, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately then delete it from your system. Please also note that transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free.I went to Amazon.com and contacted customer service from there to inquire if this was legit. Their response:Thank you for writing to us.
I apologize for the inconvenience this issue has caused you.
The e-mail you received was not from Amazon.com. We are investigating the situation, and we appreciate you letting us know that you received this.
For your protection, we suggest that you never respond to requests for personal information that may be contained in suspicious e-mail. It is best to assume any e-mail that asks for personal financial information (or web site linked to from such an e-mail) is not authentic.
If you did not click on the link in the fraudulent e-mail, your account at Amazon.com is fine--there's nothing more you need to do. If you did click the link, but didn't enter any personal information (such as your login or password), the phishers will not have your Amazon.com account information.
However, please know that if you ever respond to a phishing e-mail and do enter your Amazon.com login and password (or any other personal information) on the forged web site, the phishers will have collected that information and you should take appropriate action. We recommend that you update your Amazon.com password immediately, and, if you entered financial information, you may want to contact your bank or credit card provider.
If you encounter any other uses of the Amazon.com name that you think may be fraudulent, please do not hesitate to contact us again.
*****
WHAT IS PHISHING?
Phishing e-mails have been around for years. The term phishing comes from the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to "fish" for users' personal or financial information. In phishing, the scam artist usually sets up a spoofed a web page, which looks like the real one, but is owned and operated by the phisher.
Go to www.amazon.com/phish to read more about ways to protect yourself from phishing.
*****
WHAT IS SPOOFING?
Spoofing, in this context, refers to a counterfeit web page or e-mail that is made to "look and feel" authentic but is actually owned and operated by someone else. It is intended to fool someone into thinking that they are connected to a trusted site, or that they have received an e-mail from a trusted source.
*****
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SECURITY ON AMAZON.COM?
Visit the "Privacy & Security" section of our Help pages for safe shopping tips, our privacy policy, and more:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?&nodeId=551434
*****
HOW CAN I UPDATE MY AMAZON.COM PASSWORD?
Go to our home page then click "Your Account" on the top right menu. Choose the option "Change your name, e-mail address, or password" found under Account Settings.
I am sorry for the inconvenience.
Thank you for contacting Amazon.com.
Best regards,
G Sharath
Amazon.com Customer Service
http://www.amazon.com
No, I didn't click on the spoof link. Didn't even bring the message into my machine. I figured something was kooky about this.
Thoughts?
I received the following email the other day:Hello (my email address),
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
Your bank has contacted us regarding some attempts of charges from your credit card via the Amazon system. We have reasons to believe that you changed your registration information or that someone else has unauthorized access to your Amazon account Due to recent activity, including possible unauthorized listings placed on your account, we will require a second confirmation of your identity with us in order to allow us to investigate this matter further. Your account is not suspended, but if in 48 hours after you receive this message your account is not confirmed we reserve the right to suspend your Amazon registration. If you received this notice and you are not the authorized account holder, please be aware that it is in violation of Amazon policy to represent oneself as another Amazon user. Such action may also be in violation of local, national, and/or international law. Amazon is committed to assist law enforcement with any inquires related to attempts to misappropriate personal information with the intent to commit fraud or theft. Information will be provided at the request of law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
To confirm your identity with us click here:
(link removed)
After responding to the message, we ask that you allow at least 72 hours for the case to be investigated. Emailing us before that time will result in delays. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause you and we would like to thank you for your cooperation as we review this matter.
Thank you for your interest in selling at Amazon.com.
Amazon.com Customer Service
http://www.amazon.com
This message and any files or documents attached may contain classified information. It is intended only for the individual or entity named and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive it, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately then delete it from your system. Please also note that transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free.I went to Amazon.com and contacted customer service from there to inquire if this was legit. Their response:Thank you for writing to us.
I apologize for the inconvenience this issue has caused you.
The e-mail you received was not from Amazon.com. We are investigating the situation, and we appreciate you letting us know that you received this.
For your protection, we suggest that you never respond to requests for personal information that may be contained in suspicious e-mail. It is best to assume any e-mail that asks for personal financial information (or web site linked to from such an e-mail) is not authentic.
If you did not click on the link in the fraudulent e-mail, your account at Amazon.com is fine--there's nothing more you need to do. If you did click the link, but didn't enter any personal information (such as your login or password), the phishers will not have your Amazon.com account information.
However, please know that if you ever respond to a phishing e-mail and do enter your Amazon.com login and password (or any other personal information) on the forged web site, the phishers will have collected that information and you should take appropriate action. We recommend that you update your Amazon.com password immediately, and, if you entered financial information, you may want to contact your bank or credit card provider.
If you encounter any other uses of the Amazon.com name that you think may be fraudulent, please do not hesitate to contact us again.
*****
WHAT IS PHISHING?
Phishing e-mails have been around for years. The term phishing comes from the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to "fish" for users' personal or financial information. In phishing, the scam artist usually sets up a spoofed a web page, which looks like the real one, but is owned and operated by the phisher.
Go to www.amazon.com/phish to read more about ways to protect yourself from phishing.
*****
WHAT IS SPOOFING?
Spoofing, in this context, refers to a counterfeit web page or e-mail that is made to "look and feel" authentic but is actually owned and operated by someone else. It is intended to fool someone into thinking that they are connected to a trusted site, or that they have received an e-mail from a trusted source.
*****
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SECURITY ON AMAZON.COM?
Visit the "Privacy & Security" section of our Help pages for safe shopping tips, our privacy policy, and more:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?&nodeId=551434
*****
HOW CAN I UPDATE MY AMAZON.COM PASSWORD?
Go to our home page then click "Your Account" on the top right menu. Choose the option "Change your name, e-mail address, or password" found under Account Settings.
I am sorry for the inconvenience.
Thank you for contacting Amazon.com.
Best regards,
G Sharath
Amazon.com Customer Service
http://www.amazon.com
No, I didn't click on the spoof link. Didn't even bring the message into my machine. I figured something was kooky about this.
Thoughts?