New Take on an Old Scam

[vincent_richter]

So I got an email today...

May 2011
UPS Express Delivery
tracking number # 774142
Good morning
Parcel notification

The parcel was sent your home adress.
And it will arrive within 5 buisness days.

More information and the parcel tracking number are attached in document below.

Thank you
UPS Express Delivery system (c)
Copyright ? 1994-2011 United Parcel Service of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

Naturally, it's a new take on an old classic. The part that sucks is that it comes with its own virus ZIP attached, which A. Yahoo! detects and promptly blocks (idiots), and B. Linux can't execute anyways (see previous parenthetical). So, of course, I had to reply to the jackass who sent it.

Dear Sir or Madam:

Thank you for your submission to First International Virus Research Laboratories. You are correct in your initial assumption that this particular variation has not been seen by the larger whole of the Internet-facing world, and would have gone undetected by such programs as Kaspersky, McAfee, and even Symantec's Norton suite of virus-detection utilities. We would like to thank you for your participation, and inform you that this information is being forwarded to the Computer Emergency Response Team at Quantico along with the email address you provided, should they have any additional questions for you.

Best wishes in your new career.

-- Vince Richter, C.T.O., FIVRL Inc.

With any luck, he'll kill himself.

Discuss scam emails you've received, and your responses to them.

[Icanseestuffandstuff]

Someone of a moron thought I would fall for something similar, sending a 'link' which would send me a virus. (Which was for older PC's anyway, so kinda pointless.)

Instead I replied to them a thanks, as the link was meant to help me on something. I then sent them the same file under the disguise that it was 'my login information and other various links' so that they could 'help' me out further.

Needless to say, I never heard from them again. Nor did anyone else. A form of internet unintentional suicide one could say.

[vincent_richter]

Now see, I'm not a fan of that behavior, because it has a higher potential of landing me in trouble.
Psychological warfare, on the other hand... the gene pool could use a little chlorine, now and again.

[Icanseestuffandstuff]

What person would go up to officials and says "I tried to send someone a computer killing virus and instead they sent it back to me and I pressed it and now my computer's dead, punish them!"

[vincent_richter]

Originally Posted by Icanseestuffandstuff

What person would go up to officials and says "I tried to send someone a computer killing virus and instead they sent it back to me and I pressed it and now my computer's dead, punish them!"

Probably the same kind of person who overtly acts to piss people off, then tells everyone how he's not being an antagonistic prick.

EDIT: Okay, yes that was low, but I trust you get my point. Anonymity is somewhat of a double-edged sword.

[Clickme]

I don't get spam mails in my inbox, but I do occaaionally get a spam chatbot... it suddenly comes online nad tried ot talk to me. 2 out of 3 have started with a link. I ask who they are and where I know them from and one got insulted and avoided hte question, while one outright ignored it, the last of them just tried hitting on me... yeah taht last one never gave me a link but kept trying to cyber with me... but none of them would answer the question of who they were or where I knew them from. So I've blocked all of them, but still... I think people that send out those things need to be arrested. I mean it's an invasion of my time. It's like someone coming up to me on the street while I'm talking and shoving a bag in my face adn asking me to buy the bag now! >.<

[Hugo Prosperio]

I got one from a "bank in Africa" that just had too much money from some dead guy and wanted to give me some. The fact that this scam is still around baffles me, so I responded by saying.

"Very Much Thanks for your Kind Offer, but I am African Prince and have more money than I can use! Would you like me to put some in your personal account. i just need bank account numbers!"