Log in Scam?

Chris09

Chris09

Joined
May 27, 2021
Messages
1,123
Age
64
Location
Coquitlam British Columbia Canada
Bike
2009 ST1300
Got an email appearing to be from the CBR1100 forum earlier today enticing me to "come back" haven't been there for a while, citing excerpts from some post I'd made in the past. Which was weird, most people that know me would never do that. Didn't think much of it, browsed in [not logged in] from my phone later in the day before coming home and saw a new post, someone leaving the site, thought I'd log in see why this guy was quiting just because he bought a new [girl's] bike, when I got home; seemed the normal site URL, but when I attempted to post, I got a pop up window suggesting that I join the site and provide various details, as if I wasn't already a member, I looked at the URL and it seemed the same one as usual but not sure. I shut down the app and attempted to reconnect to the forum and found the same pop up.
Never really gave it any thought, how secure information and details divulged might be on the various forums, but it seemed a little fishy
 
I'm an admin on another forum. The scam we're seeing there are scammers contacting members through PMs to sell them something that the member has indicated they are interested in.

@Chris09, if you don't mind, I'll share your post with the other admins at the other forum.

Chris
 
Good idea, it seems as though it's coming from google finally when I got home and logged in and out a couple times, seems it's from their machinery, which doesn't worry me at all. Probably running some of their latest and greatest AI
 
Chris09 said:
Got an email appearing to be from the CBR1100 forum earlier today enticing me to "come back" haven't been there for a while, citing excerpts from some post I'd made in the past.
Click to expand...
Just got one of those, too. Hovering over the links definitely show NOT the site.
 
The bad guys (and gals...don't want to be accused of being sexist :) ) keep improving their tactics. We need to keep up.

Chris
 
Daboo said:
The bad guys (and gals...don't want to be accused of being sexist :) ) keep improving their tactics. We need to keep up.
Click to expand...
Or, as you guys would put it: there is one born every minute...

Besides running strict security apps/add-ons, am I using only my bookmarked sites to log on...
Even, or especially when receiving an email notification about something... scratch the link provided, open my browser, my bookmark, check if the "activity" is authentic...
 
Larry Fine said:
Hovering over the links
Click to expand...

As more and more people use mobile devices for internet access, that becomes less and less viable as a precaution.

I don't even know if there's a way to examine the link destination on touch devices, without actually navigating to them. That's one of the shortcomings of mobile devices IMO
 
ibike2havefun said:
As more and more people use mobile devices for internet access, that becomes less and less viable as a precaution.
I don't even know if there's a way to examine the link destination on touch devices, without actually navigating to them. That's one of the shortcomings of mobile devices IMO
Click to expand...
Dunno, got FireFox as default browser on my cell, includes/syncs all the settings and security features I've active on my PC... uBlock, etc... are active... plus Avast for Android installed...

But there increasing numbers of spam calls, especially to elders, AI copied/created voices on the phone... I'm your grandson/daughter, in trouble, need money...
Then fake LEO's at the door, pulling similar con, relatives had accident, need money for urgent surgery...

Best to appoint a secret safe-phrase within your family...
 
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I get almost daily requests to log into a financial institution, mostly banks I don’t deal with but once in a while it is the one I use. What most of these emails share is that they address me as Dear Customer and are very vague in every aspect. I always log in using my app never a provided link.
 
ibike2havefun said:
As more and more people use mobile devices for internet access, that becomes less and less viable as a precaution.

I don't even know if there's a way to examine the link destination on touch devices, without actually navigating to them. That's one of the shortcomings of mobile devices IMO
Click to expand...
I don't do computer stuff on my phone; computer only.
 
They are getting much more sophisticated. I got an email for ransom. They claimed they had access to my computer/phone, social media, banking, etc. through malware I had picked up from "adult" websites. They wanted payment in Bitcoin, sent a link, etc. Now the really intrusive part was they had my address, and described my house and the cars in the driveway. Claimed that if I didn't pay, not only would they attack me online, they would come by and collect in person! I knew they didn't have any of that info, but the very personal information was an eye opener. Thanks Google Earth. A name and address and you can look at the house, from anywhere.
 
Not me, but a relative of mine was attempted to be extorted a few months back. He got an email from some hackers that said they had access to his PC and all his accounts, and even provided him with his password for his email account. Now - he was suspicious because he changes passwords regularly and the password at one time WAS valid, but had been changed long ago.

They proceeded to ask him for money or they would release a video of him - supposedly obtained through his PC camera - doing something that would be very embarrassing.

Well, since he know he had never done that, he deleted the email and went on his way.

But it is somewhat alarming that said hackers had at once time cracked some website and obtained a list (albeit old) of passwords for accounts.

Odie1
 
Mellow said:
Never click anything in an email... go to the source...
Click to expand...
Good, reasonable advise, these days they send emails that appear fully legit to originate from the IRS, your bank, a gov agency, etc...
completely with full header, logo, QR code, fake digital signature, louring people with "tax refund due" or "we noticed unauthorized login attempts, please change your PW ASAP" and such crap...
The link provided is either a (well)spoofed redirect or, like when accessed via unprotected mobile device, installs malware, hijacking the device, grabbing all personal data, access to email and social media accounts and, if you're naive enough to have a banking APP installed, your account login data while at it...
Same happening at parking garages these days, the operators force their clients to use a proprietary payment app and have pretty much stopped to install/provide the cash/credit card machines at the exit...
Unfortunately have crooks realized how easy it is to simply slap a fake QR code sticker on the devices, so the people who think they'll download that parking app oh so conveniently there, load a malware bundle instead... ta-daahhh... happens everywhere now... shopping malls, railway stations, hospitals, etc...

Yes, my security software bundle license (for 10 PC's + mobile devices + VPN, etc...) does cost € 130,- per 2 years, but I'm rather safe then sorry...
(even on my darn Sony TV and the Strong TV box (both Android) I'm running protection software from a different maker...)

Interestingly:
none of the people in my vicinity seem to care about such on their phone, tablet, etc...
all have like DSL/broadband routers at home, but none installs a firewall router behind them...
(except those who are in IT... some critical enough to neither trust Apple, nor Microsoft, nor Google, hence despise all those OEM OS, and run their phones, tablets andTV/receivers on LineageOS, and laptops on Linux or Debian instead...)
 
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Besides not clicking on stuff, is there a reasonable way to protect oneself on all your devices? Being somewhat computer illiterate, I have no idea. Considered a VPN and would that do it?
 
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