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someone had “stolen” his email address and was
using it to try to get gift cards from people.
So, in addition to the usual email precautions, I
would like to offer these to help you from being
scammed –
+ Brief emails from a “friend” that say something
like “Can you help me?” or “Can I ask a favor?” are
clues that they are bogus. Call your friend to con-
firm if they really need your help. As they say, if it
was really urgent, they would have called you, not
sent an email. How do these scammers get started? Our neighbor-
hood has a directory provided to all residents, which
includes phone numbers and email addresses. Many
+ If you do reply to such an email by mistake, you people purposely do not provide their personal infor-
will get a follow-up email with a sad story and an mation in such a directory. Once you get an email ad-
urgent request for something like a “cash card” or dress, I suppose it is possible to tap into some emails
donation. Don’t do it! sent by that address and thus obtain many more
email addresses.
+ Do not reply or provide ANY personal information
in ANY email. Emails can be forwarded to anyone Finally, it appears a scammer can send an email that
anywhere. Valid email addresses are traded like appears to come from someone else’s address, and
stolen credit card numbers. yet they still receive replies to the scammer’s email
inbox. How they do this, I have no idea, so be careful.
+ Do NOT send money or credit card information in
any email. Instead, use your online banking to pay One final story – I was at the Walmart customer ser-
bills. vice desk when an older man was requesting a mon-
ey transfer to his son, who needed money quickly.
The Walmart people knew right away that it was a
+ THINK – did the email text really appear to be scam and refused to fulfill his request. The man was
something your friend would write to you? If there is angry, but it was the right thing to do. He wanted to
the least bit of oddness about it, call the person. send “his son” several thousand dollars!
By Kurt Jefferson, Editor, Central Kentucky Computer Society
In mid–February, I checked my Gmail account as I
do several times a day. Lurking in my Junk folder This is a new form of what’s called “ransomware.” It
was a mysterious email message that appeared to used to be that criminals would install software on a
come from Germany. user’s computer and encrypt all the files – basically
locking them so the user can’t read them. The victim
would get his or her data back after meeting ransom
The email address used to send the message might demands.
be stolen or forged. But the subject is clear:
Hospitals and other health care facilities have been
Payment for your account. targeted in recent years, and these attacks have es-
calated.
Cyber Awareness Bulletin 4 October 2021
