Someone is trolling the classified ads, trying to steal personal information

rapmarks · Aug 15, 2016

mdurette said:
Thanks for the info!

Unfortunately, it is not only links or attachments from strangers anymore you have to look out for. I work for a financial institution and we are even getting emails from emails from what appears people we know (same email address and everything) asking to click on this or open that. I now try not to click on any link or attachment via email anymore.

It is sad.....but the bad guys are getting better and better at this.

I clicked a link from my brother in law, and received a call from my broker early the next morning. I had sent him an email asking him to wire $85,000 immediately

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

DeniseM · Aug 15, 2016

Here is a sample with the link removed:

rsjb1975@sbcglobal.net
7:04 PM (3 minutes ago)

to me

Error 43: The senders mail body failed to render.

Go HERE to display the email. If your message is not viewed within 48 hours after opening this error the e-mail message will be deleted from our mail servers.

Gmail error message ID: 047373 (Mon Aug 15 22:04:46 2016)

TUGBrian · Aug 18, 2016

not sure how to continually remind folks of this...but if someone asks you to click on a link in an email, you really shouldnt do it.

Larry M · Aug 20, 2016

Some healthy skepticism

TUGBrian said:
not sure how to continually remind folks of this...but if someone asks you to click on a link in an email, you really shouldnt do it.

Some healthy skepticism is always in order on internet transactions. It's not just the booby-trapped document. It might be the renter who sends too big a check and wants cash back right away. Or it could be the website that "looks just like Google." Or maybe the scammer that contacts you via email and seems so very sincere. Beware of every dealing with strangers who contact you, unsolicited, over the internet. It's safe to assume they are smarter than you.

Anyone remember this thread?

Larry

TUGBrian · Sep 30, 2016

and another bump, as clearly this is still happening to folks.

please stop clicking on "Attachments" or "google docs" in emails from strangers!

TUGBrian · Oct 17, 2016

and yet another bump, we are still getting reports of folks having their private emails hacked on a weekly basis by clicking links sent to them in emails.

it is amazing to me that these scammers are so effective at getting people to click random links in emails!

chemery2355 · Oct 18, 2016

Rental Scam Probably still alive

I also just received an email with a seemingly valid request to rent my Maui week. I responded that it was available and asked for them to call me. They actually did.

Bob & Carolyn Riley

We had a conversation, all seemed OK and I sent the rental agreement. What I got back was their reply saying they had made a small change and couldn't send the pdf file back. They sent a Google Docs link instead. I'm usually pretty vigilant about these things but I guess I was lulled into a false sense of security. I hit the link and thank God Norton kicked in and warned me that the web page was a virus.

Haven't heard anything back from them. Beware!

theo · Oct 18, 2016

chemery2355 said:
I also just received an email with a seemingly valid request to rent my Maui week. I responded that it was available and asked for them to call me. They actually did.

Bob & Carolyn Riley

We had a conversation, all seemed OK and I sent the rental agreement. What I got back was their reply saying they had made a small change and couldn't send the pdf file back. They sent a Google Docs link instead. I'm usually pretty vigilant about these things but I guess I was lulled into a false sense of security. I hit the link and thank God Norton kicked in and warned me that the web page was a virus.

Haven't heard anything back from them. Beware!

It seems like scammers are becoming more sophisticated all the time. Disappearing are those days when semi-literate responses, atrocious grammar and completely irrelevant and inappropriate questions were usually reliable, "self-exposing" scammer characteristics.

IMnsHO, it's quite bold even for a legitimate renter to unilaterally make changes to the content of an owner's rental agreement anyhow --- without any prior discussion of any such potential "contract alteration". That inappropriate move alone would certainly give me some pause and concern, even without the lame song and dance about somehow not being able to send back a pdf file.

P.S. I hope that the link in your post is not a different path to "virus land", but I for one won't be clicking on it to find out...

Egret1986 · Oct 18, 2016

Thanks, new TUG Member, for sharing this!

chemery2355 said:
I also just received an email with a seemingly valid request to rent my Maui week. I responded that it was available and asked for them to call me. They actually did.

Bob & Carolyn Riley

We had a conversation, all seemed OK and I sent the rental agreement. What I got back was their reply saying they had made a small change and couldn't send the pdf file back. They sent a Google Docs link instead. I'm usually pretty vigilant about these things but I guess I was lulled into a false sense of security. I hit the link and thank God Norton kicked in and warned me that the web page was a virus.

Haven't heard anything back from them. Beware!

Wow, now they're calling first. That seems to to be a new one and could certainly throw one off to the point of dropping one's guard.

Welcome to TUG!

TUGBrian · Oct 18, 2016

chemery2355 said:
I also just received an email with a seemingly valid request to rent my Maui week. I responded that it was available and asked for them to call me. They actually did.

Bob & Carolyn Riley

We had a conversation, all seemed OK and I sent the rental agreement. What I got back was their reply saying they had made a small change and couldn't send the pdf file back. They sent a Google Docs link instead. I'm usually pretty vigilant about these things but I guess I was lulled into a false sense of security. I hit the link and thank God Norton kicked in and warned me that the web page was a virus.

Haven't heard anything back from them. Beware!

despite your norton antivirus warning, id still suggest changing your email passwords asap.

sadly they now likely have your name, and information for your valid maui week that they can provide to others who contact them and attempt to lure them into paying them for a week they dont own (but looks legitimate because its a valid rental offered by a valid owner).

the goal of these links isnt so much to obtain access to your email accounts, but go gain access to legitimate rental information to utilize in their scams to extract money from folks by pretending to be the owners of these high dollar rentals.

we are finding it more and more common that these scams involve folks claiming the weeks they are offering for rent are owned by a "spouse" or "friend" to explain the discrepancy in name and address of the actual owner, all the while you are in communication with a scammer using a different name.

Egret1986 · Oct 18, 2016

Good grief.

TUGBrian said:
despite your norton antivirus warning, id still suggest changing your email passwords asap.

sadly they now likely have your name, and information for your valid maui week that they can provide to others who contact them and attempt to lure them into paying them for a week they dont own (but looks legitimate because its a valid rental offered by a valid owner).

the goal of these links isnt so much to obtain access to your email accounts, but go gain access to legitimate rental information to utilize in their scams to extract money from folks by pretending to be the owners of these high dollar rentals.

we are finding it more and more common that these scams involve folks claiming the weeks they are offering for rent are owned by a "spouse" or "friend" to explain the discrepancy in name and address of the actual owner, all the while you are in communication with a scammer using a different name.

Thank you, Brian, for expanding on this. It's very helpful to all of us that don't think of everything. It may seem that folks should know these things, but scammers are always a step ahead with new ways of taking advantage of others.

Seaport104 · Oct 29, 2016

TUGBrian said:
just another reminder that this is still an issue...people are actively sending emails to members with links to click that ends up with them getting access to your email accounts!

had another person today claim they got an inquiry about an ad they had posted, and the potential renter sent them a link to click on supposedly as a contract/agreement to read over etc...ended up having his aol email compromised.

Received one of these as well. It's great having Tug to alert others! When I sent the rental agreement, here is the reply I received-

"I resent the rental agreement, via GoogleDOc and signed underneath.
See attached, login to view the document. I made some changes on the contract.
Please confirm and let me know if everthing is all good with the signed contract . I am so excited about this vacation. As soon as you confirm, i will wait for your paypal invoice and make payment.
Will wait to hear from you soonest."

I sent an email back asking for their contact info and they replied it's in the google docs link.

Seems like a scam to me.:annoyed:

TUGBrian · Oct 29, 2016

dont click on any links to google docs in emails from strangers.

dakotafamily · Oct 30, 2016

TUGBrian said:
dont click on any links to google docs in emails from strangers.

If an email account has been compromised do you prevent the TUGGER from posting ads?

TUGBrian · Dec 16, 2016

dakotafamily said:
If an email account has been compromised do you prevent the TUGGER from posting ads?

yes, if we discover someone has lost access to their own personal email address...we will not permit that account to post ads in the marketplace.

TUGBrian · Dec 16, 2016

and yet another reminder, as we got multiple reports this week alone of people who are contacting members thru their ads and asking them to click on "google docs".

there is absolutely no reason whatsoever that someone should click on an unrecognized link in an email from a 3rd party.

Egret1986 · Dec 16, 2016

Yesterday I was contacted through a Craigslist ad about my rental. Person was very eager. Asked no questions, except about dates. When told I didn't have June dates, only the listed dates in ad, they were eager to rent. He asked for an agreement. As soon as the the agreement was sent, I received an email back with a link to open. No way did he have time to go through my agreement. He asked no questions about the unit or my ownership. Thanks to this thread, I knew not to click on the link in the email. The person sending the email was Derek Beatties who was "interested" in my Craigslist ad for the Florida Keys.

Thank you TUG and TUGBrian!

DeniseM · Dec 16, 2016

I have also been receiving "click this link" emails from people that I know. I am guessing that their email Accts. have been hijacked. So even if you know the person - if you aren't expecting a document from them, don't click!

Someone is trolling the classified ads, trying to steal personal information

rapmarks

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