I've received an e-mail claiming that someone who knows me has sent me a sum of money via empowr.com. Since the address of my mailbox is (AFAIK) only accessible via SOL, it's likely to be from someone here. Reading on-line reviews, empowr.com appears to be a scam which never pays out so I'm not inclined to access it.
Has anyone else here received such an e-mail? What did you do with it?
AJ
I've received an e-mail claiming that someone who knows me has sent me a sum of money
I've always deleted any such message no matter where it's (supposedly) from or what company it's meant to be through.
People that know me can email, call, write to or see me.
No need for them to send money to a 3rd party & for the 3rd party to email me.
And i'd suggest any one with your email address wouldn't need to give the money to some other company & for them to email you. They could email you directly.
Delete and ignore IMHO.
SOL pages and information are generally available, even if you don't have a free account (via Google search), so it wouldn't be difficult for them to pick up names, though emails might be more difficult. The emails are more likely picked up from someone else's email they've hacked, using their computer to send span to their entire email list, where they likely picked up yours.
If they're publicly listed as an unreliable scam/spam site, I'd avoid them like the plague (take your pick over which plague). However, I've never heard from them (which again reinforces my 'compromised computer' theory).
I have received 'contributions' for my writing effort from readers, with nothing asked in exchange, but they always utilize PayPal, rather than other nefarious sources.
If they don't know and use your correct name, that's pretty good evidence that you are being scammed. No one sends money to someone whose name they do not know.
No one sends money to someone whose name they do not know.
I beg to differ, I've bought books from authors using pen names, however they had their paypal a/c set up with the pen name, so it was easy.
I've bought books from authors using pen names, however they had their paypal a/c set up with the pen name, so it was easy.
Somehow, I doubt the folks who wrote AJ propose to use PayPal...
bb
I beg to differ, I've bought books from authors using pen names, however they had their paypal a/c set up with the pen name, so it was easy.
That was the only exception I though about. But even if I was expecting an payment via Paypal I would still double-check that the link actually went to Paypal; or better yet, log in to my Paypal account using a generic url.
Clicking on links received via email is not safe, *especially* if it takes you to a page where you need to log in. Just too many possibilities of phishing.
Clicking on links received via email is not safe, *especially* if it takes you to a page where you need to log in. Just too many possibilities of phishing.
Talk about red faces. Mine certainly was the other day when I received such an email. Saved only by not clicking on the final link the email directed me to. Not because I was suspicious, but because I would have had to look up the login info for the site it pretended to be.
We all know this stuff, but I still walked right past these red flags:
1--- Email from a business known to me, but not expected (no pending business)*
2---Not the usual way the organization communicates
3---The actual link URL(visible in the mail client before clicking) did not take you to the page it claimed to be
4---The Web page was not a very good copy of the real page, once I compared them
Live and learn
bb
* EDIT TO ADD: Business staffer's email had been hacked
The actual link URL(visible in the mail client before clicking) did not take you to the page it claimed to be
That's why I have my mail client set to display all emails as plain text and not html. That way you see the underlying code, not the html display instruction.
That's why I have my mail client set to display all emails as plain text and not html. That way you see the underlying code, not the html display instruction.
Even if you display the html, hovering over it will reveal the actual instructions. However, in most cases, the spam links are pretty close, enough so you wouldn't immediately notice it.
I get a fair amount of suspcious stuff, typically email from known sources but which lack any kind of context, completely blind links with only generic descriptions, and typically the links themselves wouldn't warn you in and of themselves.
Clicking on links received via email is not safe, *especially*
Something I never do. Even if it looks OK in the raw email data I use google or my existing hot links to find the right URL and go check things out before accepting anything said in the email.
I would still double-check that the link actually went to Paypal
A very good idea. Every month or so I receive an email from a scammer that informs me my PayPal account has been restricted due to questionable transactions, and I have to click on the link to ...
The first time I got this email, I called PayPal to verify the email was genuine and find out what was wrong. I was told the email was not sent from PayPal.
A very good idea. Every month or so I receive an email from a scammer that informs me my PayPal account has been restricted due to questionable transactions, and I have to click on the link to ...
I get those several times a year.
I don't have a Paypal account.
