Of course this email I received was a spoof and a scam. I've several a week to deal with.
I did a right click/properties on the link and then cut and pasted the URL into a new, freshly opened Firefox window. What do you know! A PayPal page opens up. At least it looked very much like a PayPal page. In the middle of the page was a link/line saying, "this page has been moved". I right clicked to check the properties and found it was for a JavaScript application. I decided I had better not click this 'just to see what happens'. I don't know that much about JavaScript but I do know that some evil nasty people like to abuse it. I have an anti virus program but...
I sent the email to spoof @ PayPal.com and wondered how many people have clicked on that JavaScript link. The only reason these crooks keep sending phishing emails is because it pays off. It pays off because there are enough people without the knowledge to see the scams for what they are.
I know because I fell for the first one I ever saw. It was with a PayPal spoof letter. Fortunately their use of my account didn't work because they demanded more money than my account would allow. When accessing my account I saw the activity. A quick call to PayPal stopped their attempted thievery.
I'd like to encourage people to spread the word about the dark side of the internet. Especially those that are new to it. On occasion bring up the subject of internet scams with your internet friends in chat rooms and such. Once in a while post a message on the bulletin boards you visit. Co-workers, even those that do use computers might be informed of some of the scams and hopefully in a way that will not scare them away from going online.
The internet is a wonderful source for all kinds of entertainment and information and profit. Sharing a bit of knowledge with those in your circle will help keep it from being profitable to the bad guys.
I would also suggest you put Ted Richardson's Fraud, Phishing and Financial Misdeeds in your favorites and check in once in a while to keep up on scams. The wallet you save may be your own!
Update: A friend at church had gotten the same email. I gave her the spoof @ paypal address to send it to and warned her about other phishing schemes. I added this little update to show that it does work. Sharing a bit of knowledge with your friends will help knock down the number of victims.
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