Unfounded Rumour - Facebook Friend Request Warning - People Trying to Access Photos of Children

Outline
"Urgent" message circulating on Facebook warns users not to accept friend requests from Ponce Martin, Lorraine Miyama, Dario Murgiondo, Montaldo G, Blue Belen, Julieta Montaldo, Jester Fan, Luly Carbal or Martina Di Stefano because these people are trying to access photos of children.

Brief Analysis
There is no evidence whatsoever that supports the claims in this absurd and pointless warning. Many Facebook users share the names specified in the message. Spreading such scurrilous nonsense will do nothing other than damage the reputations of innocent people.

 Detailed analysis and references below example.

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Last updated: 29th July 2011
First published: 29th July 2011
Article written by Tasawer Abbas
Example DO NOT accept friend requests of these people: PONCE MARTIN, LORRAINE Miyama, DARIO MURGIONDO, Montaldo G, BLUE BELEN, JULIETA Montaldo, Jester FAN, Luly CARBAL, MARTINA DI STEFANO They are trying to access photos of children. Copy and paste on your wall! URGENT!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

Detailed Analysis
Yet another breathless paedophile warning is rocketing around social network Facebook. According to this "urgent" message, finished off with dozens of exclamation marks presumably to drive home just how terribly important it is, a group of sinister people with the names Ponce Martin, Lorraine Miyama, Dario Murgiondo, Montaldo G, Blue Belen, Julieta Montaldo, Jester Fan, Luly Carbal and Martina Di Stefano are trying to access photos of children. To thwart these would be evildoers, recipients are advised not to accept friend requests from any of them.

However, there is no evidence to support the claims in this supposed warning. There are no credible reports that suggest that any of those named in the message have been attempting to access children's photographs inappropriately. Like the many other similar "warnings" that have preceded it, this message is nothing more than a scurrilous rumour and passing it on will do nothing whatsoever to protect children from online predators.

A fundamental problem with such warnings is that a great many people around the world are likely to share the names of those listed as perpetrators. Searches reveal that, on Facebook alone, there are dozens of users that have the same names as those specified in the "warning". Thus, even if a person named in one of these warnings did do something wrong, many others who share that name are likely to be unfairly affected by such accusations. Such unfounded accusations can potentially ruin the reputations of entirely innocent individuals. For this reason, sending on totally unsubstantiated accusations such as this is irresponsible and reprehensible. It is simply immoral to repost a message in a public arena that accuses a person of wrongdoing without even the vaguest shred of evidence to support such an accusation.

Moreover, the tactic described in this warning is in fact rather absurd. Why would those intent on accessing photographs of children risk exposure and discovery by trying to get to such images by making friends via Facebook? Especially by using their real names and Facebook profiles? Literally hundreds of thousands of images of children are available via a simple search engine image search. And of course there is a vast array of websites, magazines, books, catalogues and other publications that contain images of children, all of which can be accessed anonymously.

We all have a responsibility to protect children online. However, sending on silly and utterly unfounded rumours that have the potential to hurt innocent people is certainly NOT going to help protect children. A much more sensible and effective course of action is to closely monitor your children's activities on Facebook and the Internet in general. Better yet, in the case of younger children, don't let them use Facebook at all. And, of course, be careful of what images and material you post on your Facebook account in the first place and ensure that your privacy settings are adequate for your circumstances.

 

UK Post Office Online Reward Program Phishing Scam

Outline
Email purporting to be from Post Office United Kingdom claims that the recipient has received a cash reward via the Post Office United Kingdom Online Reward program. The recipient is instructed to follow a link in the message and enter his or her "bonus code" on a website form in order to claim the reward.

Brief Analysis
The email is not from the UK Post Office and the claim that the recipient is eligible to receive a cash reward is untrue. The email is a phishing scam designed to steal personal and financial information from recipients via a bogus website.

 Detailed analysis and references below example.

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Last updated: 15th February 2011
First published: 15th February 2011
Article written by Tasawer Abbas

Example Subject: E-mail Bonus #152040

Greetings from Post Office United Kingdom

Welcome to the Post Office United Kingdom Online Reward program, the first and largest loyalty program in the world!

We are proud to inform you that today, The UK Post Office rewarded you. Please take the 4 steps survey. For your effort you will be rewarded you with ?

Your bonus code is P742UK2910

Please track your Bonus Code in to:

[Link removed]

and follow the reward steps.

Thank you very much for your help and your patient and hope you will enjoy the UK Post Office reward program in the future.

Sincerely,
Sandra [Removed]

UK Post Office Reward Department

Detailed Analysis
According to this email, which claims to be from the United Kingdom Post Office, the recipient has been selected to receive a cash reward as part of the "Post Office United Kingdom Online Reward program". To claim the reward, the recipient is instructed to click a link in the email and enter personal and financial information, along with his or her "bonus code" into a website form.

However, the message is not from the UK Post Office and the promised reward does not exist. Those who fall for the ruse and follow the link will be taken to a fraudulent website designed to steal both their personal information and their credit card details. The link in the email is disguised to resemble a genuine UK Post Office web address. The bogus website includes graphics, formatting and secondary links designed to make it resemble the genuine UK Post Office website.

If a victim clicks on the link in the scam email, he or she will be first asked to provide name, contact and other personal details via a form on the bogus website as shown in the following screenshot:

Once the user has filled in this form and clicked the "Submit" button, he or she will then be taken to a second page that asks him or her to enter the "Bonus Code" included in the scam email:

Next, the victim will be taken to a third page that reloads the personal information submitted in the first form but also requests credit card details including the user's credit card account password:

After the "Submit" button on the final form is clicked, the bogus website will display a brief "Thank-you" message before redirecting the user to the genuine UK Post Office website. Because the scam sequence eventually takes the victim to the genuine post office website, he or she may not initially realize that skulduggery is afoot. Meanwhile, all information submitted on the bogus website will be sent to Internet criminals who can use it to commit credit card fraud and identity theft.

One quick giveaway that the bogus website is not what it claims to be is the fact that the form asking for personal and financial details is not on a secure (https) server. No legitimate organization would ever ask for such sensitive information via an unsecure webpage.

This phishing scam is quite similar to a recent spate of survey phishing scams that promise recipients substantial fees for participating in brief online surveys. As in this case the purpose of these survey scams is to trick people into handing over their credit card details and other personal information. Internet users should be very cautious of any unsolicited email that claims that they can receive a cash payment or reward simply by filling in a short survey or providing their personal information. If you receive such an email, do not follow any links in the message or open any attachment that it may contain. Do not provide any information to the senders of the message either via a website form or by replying to the email. 

UPS Uniforms Hoax

Outline
Message claims that a large quantity of UPS uniforms has recently been bought on eBay and that the uniforms could be used by criminals or terrorists posing as delivery drivers.

Brief Analysis
The claims in the warning are false. The story is an urban legend that has been circulating for at least a decade and has no basis in fact.

Detailed analysis and references below example. 

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Last updated: 11th May 2011
First published: 21st September 2003
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer

Example Subject: UPS Uniforms "WARNING" - a heads-up message

UPS Uniforms

Government Warning regarding purchase of UPS uniforms:

There has been a huge purchase, $32,000 worth, of United Parcel Service (UPS) uniforms on eBay over the last 30 days. This could represent a serious threat as bogus drivers(terrorists) can drop off anything to anyone with deadly consequences! If you have ANY questions when a UPS driver appears at your door they should be able to furnish VALID I.D.

Additionally, if someone in a UPS uniform comes to make a drop off or pick up, make absolutely sure they are driving a UPS truck. UPS doesn't make deliveries or pickups in anything, except a company vehicle. If you have a problem, call your local law enforcement agency right away!

TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY! Tell everyone in your office, your family, your friends, etc. Make people aware so that we can prepare and/or avoid terrorist attacks on our people! Thank you for your time in reviewing this and PLEASE send to EVERYONE on your list, even if they are friend or foe. We should all be aware!

Kimberly Bush-Carr
Management Program Specialist
U.S.Department of Homeland Security
Bureau Customs and Border Protection
Washington, DC 20229

Detailed Analysis
At face value, this email warning sounds frighteningly plausible. However, it is nothing more than an urban legend that has been circulating in one form or another for at least a decade. Current submissions indicate that this hoax email is once again gaining momentum.

The message was not sent by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or any other government agency. Nor is there any record of large purchases of United Parcel Service uniforms on eBay. According to a 2003 Washington Post article, the claims in the message have been denied by UPS, the FBI and eBay.

The FBI has debunked several similar UPS stories since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. UPS spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg in Atlanta says the e-mail has been "thoroughly investigated" by the FBI and local law enforcement. "It is the urban legend of missing uniforms," she says.

EBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove also says the UPS story "comes up empty."

Moreover, eBay has for several years restricted listings of government, mass transit, and shipping-related items, including uniforms. eBay's Government, transit, and shipping-related items policy page specifically states that shipping company uniforms, including those from DHL, Federal Express (FedEx), and United Parcel Service (UPS) are not allowed to be listed or sold on eBay in compliance with "strict federal regulations banning or restricting the sale of government, transit, and shipping-related items".

And, even if individual uniform items somehow slipped through this restriction, a large quantity of UPS uniforms listed for sale would certainly have been noticed and blocked before purchase.

In the past, eBay did allow the sale of UPS uniforms. In fact, rumours about large purchases of UPS uniforms may have sprung from the presence of such listings on various auction sites. The apparent willingness by some bidders to pay very high prices for such uniforms may also have raised suspicions and further fuelled the rumours. However, thorough investigation by the FBI found no evidence linking the purchase of these uniforms to terrorist activities. Furthermore, although some uniforms were bought, there were no reports to back up the claims that very large quantities of uniforms were purchased over one thirty day period.

There are several slightly different versions of the message, all referring to large purchases of United Parcel Service uniforms on eBay. Later versions tack on the signature of one "Kimberly Bush-Carr" from Homeland Security, apparently to add a bogus sense of authority to the story.

In April 2011, the hoax gained undeserved credibility after the Los Angeles Police Department's West Valley Division inadvertently sent out a copy of the false warning via the nixle alert service. Nixle is a service that provides "secure alerts free from your local police" to its subscribers. The LAPD quickly realized its error, and published the following update on nixle just 73 minutes after the bogus alert was posted:

UPS Uniforms *** UPDATE ***

Unfortunately the info re: UPS Uniforms came from another Law Enforcement Agency in the State of California purporting the validity of the information. This "INFO" is, apparently an Internet myth.

However, the advice is good in that you should always verify the delivery service has arrived with their own company vehicle.

Our deepest APOLOGIZES from the LAPD WVY Area !!!

Unfortunately, it seems that the LAPD's quickly rectified error was still enough to give the old hoax a new lease of life. Recent submissions indicate that the story is once again circulating rapidly. I have also received several highly critical messages from readers who claim that my analysis is wrong because the information has been "confirmed by the LAPD".

Of course, criminals have used government and company uniforms to help them commit misdeeds in the past and are bound to do so again. Uniforms can help us to identify certain employees such as law enforcement personnel or postal workers, but a uniform alone is not enough to conclusively verify the wearer. If in doubt, we should always verify the wearers of such uniforms by other means.

That said, passing on this bogus warning will only cause unnecessary fear and alarm among recipients and waste the time of those obligated to answer queries about its claims from concerned citizens.

 

Water Bottle Car Fire Warning

Outline
Message warns that a water bottle left inside a car on a sunny day could ignite the upholstery and start a fire.

Brief Analysis
The information in the message is true. Given the right kind of plastic container and the right environmental conditions, sun shining through a water bottle can indeed lead to combustion. A round plastic bottle filled with clear water can act as a lens that concentrates the sun's energy on one point.

 Detailed analysis and references below example.

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Last updated: 27th April 2011
First published: 7th February 2008
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer

Example Subject: Starting fire with water

Or how I nearly burnt my car down

It's simple really...we do it all the time

...and I'd encourage you to try this at home...it drives home the message quite effectively when it is demonstrated!!

Paper doesn't burn that easily

 

But that doesn't mean it won't...

 

Car upholstery was another matter altogether...

 

Each of these burns took less than 7 seconds!

 

Contributing factors
. Angle of sunlight
. Shape and clarity of bottle
. Bottle full of water
. Readily inflammable material

What can you do?
. Don't leave bottles in vehicles (or near windows in buildings) ? cover them up if you have to.
. Better still...use purpose-built water bottles which are not made of clear glass or plastic
. Share this within the business
. Share it with your family and friends
. PS ? you now know another way to start a fire in a survival situation!

Detailed Analysis
According to this warning, which is currently circulating via email and social media, leaving a filled plastic water bottle in a vehicle on a sunny day has the potential to start a fire inside the car. The message includes several photographs depicting how sunlight shining through a water bottle could potentially generate enough heat to start combustion. The last photograph shows several upholstery burns allegedly caused by a water bottle.

Given the right kind of plastic container and the right environmental conditions it is true that sun shining through a water bottle can lead to combustion. A round plastic bottle filled with clear water can act as a lens that concentrates the sun's energy on one point. Basically, the bottle acts like a magnifying glass. This magnifying effect can be easily seen if one looks at an object through a full bottle. As many of us will recall from childhood experiments, it is not at all difficult to burn holes in paper or dry leaves using a magnifying glass.

Thus, if the sun's energy is concentrated through a water bottle on to combustible material, then it is possible that fire could result. I conducted experiments using the same kind of bottle featured in the above photographs and I found that, by focusing the sun's rays through the bottle onto a thin plastic sheet, I could quite easily burn holes. The following photographs illustrate the results of one of my experiments. A hole was burned through the plastic after around 30 to 40 seconds of placing the bottle. A small indentation was also melted into the hard plastic tool-case that I used to support the bottle and plastic sheet:

The phenomenon has also been captured on video by the New Zealand television program Fair Go. The program discusses damage caused to the upholstery of a Jeep Cherokee. The owner of the vehicle, Mark Gillings, first noticed the potential danger when he left a full plastic water bottle in the Jeep's backseat bottle holder on a sunny day. He subsequently reported the issue to the media and motoring groups in New Zealand.

An April, 2007 article on the program's website notes:

Mark Gillings of Queenstown came back to his car after a few hours fishing to find a burn mark on the back seat of his Chrysler Jeep Cherokee. It turned out that a full 1.25-litre Pump water bottle, which was sitting in the rear seat centre drinks holder, had focused the sun's rays like a magnifying glass on the seat about three centimetres from the holder.

Further investigation revealed a number of other cases in New Zealand. Thus, it seems clear that the phenomenon is real and the warning message is valid.

That said, according to the New Zealand Motor Industry Association, none of the reported cases actually lead to a car fire. In every instance, the damage was limited to small burn marks on the upholstery. Moreover, the majority of plastic water bottles have a series of surface ridges or indentations that seem to effectively disperse the sun's rays so that no one point can become heated enough to ignite. I conducted experiments with several types of plastic bottles, but I could only burn holes using those with clear, smooth tops. However, it should be noted that the "Pump" brand and other clear-topped plastic bottles like the one shown in the photographs are available in many Australian supermarkets. Also, there is a very large range of bottle styles available and some styles may only be distributed in specific countries or regions. Due to these factors, I could only experiment on a relatively small selection of bottle styles. And of course, the range of styles is even larger if you factor in plastic containers that originally held other liquids that may be reused for water, glass bottles, and bottles that hold clear liquids other than water. It is therefore probably safest to assume that any bottle has the potential to become a burning lens given the right environmental conditions.

Although incidents like the one reported in the warning message are probably quite rare, the potential for a serious car fire caused by a plastic water bottle certainly cannot be dismissed. Thus, the warning is worth heeding. As a precaution, it is advisable to remove plastic water bottles from cars left in the sun or cover them so that they cannot act as lenses.

 

 

 

Tsunami Deep Sea Creatures Email

Outline
Email with a number of attached photographs of strange deep-sea creatures claims that the creatures were washed up as a result of the March 2011 Japanese Tsunami. A much earlier version claimed that the creatures were washed up after the December 2004 Southeast Asian Tsunami.

Brief Analysis
The creatures depicted in the photographs are real and the photographs are genuine. However, the creatures did not wash up as a result of a tsunami as claimed in these messages. In fact, the pictures were taken during the NORFANZ scientific research voyage undertaken during May and June, 2003.

Detailed analysis and references below example. 

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Last updated: 20th April 2011
First published: 12th January 2005
Article written by Tasawer Abbas

Example:(Submitted, April, 2011) Subject: Creatures Found At Seaside After JAPAN TSUNAMI

Everyone knows, the tsunami in Japan was devastating, both in the loss of life and economically to the region. However, now that the cleanup is underway in the region, deep sea creatures that live too deep to be studied are being found scattered throughout the wreckage. These creatures were washed up on shore when the waves hit.

Example:(Submitted, January, 2005) Subject: Phuket Deep Sea Creatures - Found At Seaside After TSUNAMI

As everyone knows, the tsunami in Southeast Asia was devastating both in the loss of life and economically to the region. However now that the clean up is underway in the region, deep sea creatures that live too deep to be studied are being found scattered throughout the wreckage. These creatures were washed up on shore when the waves hit.

Amazing what lives so far below the surface isn't it? It is ironic how terrible human tragedy and natural disaster can lead to unprecedented expansion of scientific knowledge.

The theory is the tsunami created enough vertical currents to sweep these deep living creatures to the surface quickly. The gases in their blood expanded rapidly causing death (like divers ascending too quickly).

Editor's Note: The email came with the same series of photographs that are shown in the more recent example above.

Detailed Analysis
The message shown in the first example above claims that the strange deep sea creatures featured in the accompanying photographs were brought to the surface as a result of the devastating tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011. The original version of the message (second example above), which began circulating in January 2005, claimed that the creatures were washed ashore as a result of the Southeast Asian tsunami of December 2004.

However, neither claim is true. In fact, the photographs were circulating online months before the 2004 tsunami struck.

The creatures depicted in the photographs are real but they have no connection whatsoever to either tsunami. The pictures were taken during the NORFANZ scientific research voyage undertaken during May and June, 2003. Information about the voyage published on Australia's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities explains:

NORFANZ was a joint Australian-New Zealand research voyage carrying leading Australian, New Zealand and other international scientists to explore deep sea habitats and biodiversity in the Tasman Sea. The scientists explored deep sea habitats around seamounts and abyssal plains around Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands through to northern New Zealand. Australia?s National Oceans Office (now part of the Marine Division of the Department of the Environment and Heritage) and the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries each committed half a million dollars to the four-week voyage. The voyage collected biodiversity samples, DNA tissue samples, seabed habitat data, photographs and video on seamounts at depths between 200 metres and 1.2 kilometres, and surveyed free-swimming animals that live in the water masses above and around these seamounts. The main objective of the expedition was to provide baseline information on the nature and potential vulnerability of these unique habitats and their biodiversity. The results have given us a much better understanding of the species that live on and around the deep seamounts and ridges throughout the Tasman Sea.

The photographs can be viewed in their original context by visiting the NORFANZ Creature Feature pages.

White Van with Red Dragon Abduction Alert Messages

Outline
Various messages claim that a child has been abducted by someone driving a white van with a red dragon on it.

Brief Analysis
The claims in these messages are so far unsubstantiated. There are no credible news reports about an abduction like the one described. Different versions of the message name different locations for the supposed abduction. Some versions claim a little girl was abducted. Others claim that both a boy and a girl were abducted.

 Detailed analysis and references below example.

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Last updated: 14th March 2011
First published: 14th March 2011
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer

Examples If someone sees a white van with a red dragon on it phone the police straight away and tell them where it is because a little girl has just been abducted 15 minutes ago at crown point north! (Denton)
if someone sees a white van with a red dragon on it phone the police straight away and tell them where it is because a little girl has just been abducted 15 minutes ago at crown point north! (Denton) Sftbc but please broadcast!! She needs finding....
**URGENT** EVERYONE PAY ATTENTION AND COPY AS YOUR STATUS NOW PLEASE If someone sees a white van with a red dragon on it phone the police straight away and tell them where it is because a little girl has just been abducted less than an hour ago from the crown bard pub in rhyl!!!!!!
very important... Please re-poot this... about 6.30pm 2nite in woodend a man in a white van with a red dragon on the side abducted a little girl outside woodend park and a 7yr old boy called jamie... apparantly the police have been aware of this suspicious van!!! PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYES OUT 4 THIS VAN AND CALL THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY... THERE KIDS NEED FINDING
If any one sees a white van with a red dragon on it phone police straight away and tell them were it is because a little girl has just been abducted about an hour ago outside wood end park, Tamworth. And a 7 year old boy called jamie. Please broadcast !! They really need finding. The reg of the van is T686 BJW. Please pass this onto as many people as you know.

Detailed Analysis
A series of child abduction alert messages are currently circulating around social networking websites Facebook and Twitter and via email. The messages describe a child abduction involving a white van with a red dragon on its side and ask recipients to report sightings of the van to police immediately. There are several versions of the message circulating. Some claim that two young children were abducted; a boy named "Jamie" and a young, unnamed, girl. Others claim that just the one child - a girl - was abducted. The locations of the alleged abduction also vary. Several localities in the UK are listed in different versions of the message, including Wood End Park, Tamworth, Crown Bard pub, Rhyl, Crown Point North, Denton and Wednesfield, Wolverhampton. One version lists the registration number of the van as being T686 BJW.

The claims in these messages so far remain unsubstantiated and may well be untrue. I could not find any news or police reports about a child abduction that took place in any of the locations mentioned in the various versions of the message. In fact, I could find no reports at all in the UK media that describe an abduction involving a white van with a red dragon or the registration T686 BJW. It seems barely credible that the only information about a child abduction would consist of vague and garbled reports that circulate via social media posts.

Moreover, the posts do not list a specific date, but suggest that the supposed abduction took place just a few minutes or hours ago. This ensures that such messages retain their "urgency" and give the illusion that they contain up-to-date information. Often, messages like these will continue to circulate for months or years after they first appeared.

To be worthwhile, abduction alerts must contain accurate and verifiable information about the circumstances of the incident and state exactly when and where the abduction took place. Given that there is no evidence to support the abduction claims put forward in these vague and conflicting messages, sending them on is likely to be counterproductive.

The posts are reminiscent of a long-running "Amber Alert" hoax that falsely claimed that a child had been abducted by a man driving a "2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse".

 

References
Facebook rumours and inaccurate postings
Amber Alert Hoax - Mitsubishi Eclipse With Plate Number 98B351

comments powered by Last updated: 14th March 2011
First published: 14th March 2011
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer

Best Regards,

Your Friend

 

Yahoo Account Phishing Scams Emails

Outline
Email claims that the recipient must supply account details within five days or his or her Yahoo account will be closed.

Brief Analysis
The email is not from Yahoo. The message is a phishing scam designed to trick recipients into sending their Yahoo account details to Internet criminals.

 Detailed analysis and references below example.

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Last updated: 17th March 2011
First published: 9th June 2008
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer

Example Subject: Dear E-mail Account Owner,

Dear E-mail Account Owner,

This message comes from your (EMAIL SERVICE PROVIDER) messaging admin center to All yahoo E-mail Account owners. We are currently improving our Database and E-mail Account Center and creating more certainty for our Legal Service clients. At this moment we are upgrading our data base so that there will be more space for new customers and increasing the surf on the Internet. To prevent your Email address not to be de-activated and to enable it upgraded, you need to assist us by sending the information below to enable us upgrade it, so that your email account status were flect in our database as a very active, useful and legal email account.Do send to us the below information to enable us upgrade your Account, else your email account will lost in a short time.

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Email Address:
E-mail password:
Alternative Email:

WARNING!!! E-MAIL OWNERS who refuses to upgrade his or her account within Five days after notification of this update will permanently be deleted from our data base and can also lead to malfunctioning of the client or user's account and we will not be responsible for loosing our account.

Thanks for your understanding as it is geared towards serving you better.

Email Messaging Support Team

Warning Code: ID67565434.
Note: This message is for yahoo mail user only

? 2011 Microsoft Privacy

Terms of use
Yahoo Member Service

Detailed Analysis
According to this email, the recipient's Yahoo account will be deleted permanently unless he or she replies with account details within five days. The email asks for the account holder's username and password and other personal information and claims to be from the Yahoo "Email Messaging Support Team".

However, the message is not from Yahoo and the claim that the recipient's account will be closed if he or she does not reply is untrue. In fact, the message is a phishing scam designed to steal account information from recipients. Those who follow the instructions in the email will actually be supplying their account details directly to scammers. Once they receive the requested details, the criminals responsible can then access the victim's Yahoo account directly, including email and any personal information stored within the account.

These criminals often use such hijacked accounts to launch further scams and spam campaigns. One such ruse is designed to trick contacts of the victim into sending money to online criminals. Once they have gained access to the hijacked account, the scammers will then send emails to all of the people on the account's contact list. These emails will falsely claim that the account holder is in a very difficult situation and desperately needs financial assistance. Usually, such emails claim that the account holder is stranded in another country without money or travel documents due to a robbery or lost baggage.

Yahoo would never request account details such as usernames and passwords via an unsolicited email. Moreover, Yahoo already has methods in place to deal with inactive accounts. It certainly would not send out emails threatening customers with account closures if they do not supply account information within one week. Any unsolicited email claiming to be from Yahoo that requests sensitive information such as usernames and passwords is quite likely to be a phishing scam.

Yahoo has warned customers about phishing scams in an article on its website. If you receive this email or a similar one, do not reply to the email or supply any of the information requested. Do not click on any links in such messages as they may lead to fake web pages that are designed to look like genuine Yahoo login pages. Login details and any other information supplied on these fake web pages can be collected by scammers and used for fraud and identity theft.

Scammers have used this tactic to steal account information from users of other popular email providers, including Hotmail, Gmail and several others.

Although its intention is more sinister, this email is similar to a long running series of hoaxes that claim that the recipient's Yahoo or Hotmail account will be closed down if the message is not forwarded to others within a specified time frame.

A very similar phishing scam from 2008:
Subject: WARNING!!! VERIFY YOUR YAHOOMAIL ACCOUNT NOW

Dear Account User,

You are advise to verify your account details below to enable us upgrade your account. E.G Your YahooMail ID, Password, Date Of Birth etc.

In failure of doing this, you will Automatically lose your YahooMail Account.

Thanks for using YahooMail

Account Alert

VERIFY YOUR YAHOOMAIL ACCOUNT NOW TO AVOID IT BEING CLOSE!!!

Dear Account User,
This message is from YahooMail message center to all YahooMail account owners and premium account owners. We are currently upgrading our data base and e-mail account center. We are deleting all unused YahooMail account to create more space for new accounts.

To prevent your account from closing, you will have to verify it below before One (1) week from now!

VERIFY YOUR YAHOOMAIL ACCOUNT NOW TO AVOID CLOSE!!!

YahooMail ID:.........................

Password:...............................

Your Birthday:.......................

Your Country or Territory:...........

Warning!!! Account owner that refuses to update his or her account before One (1) week of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.

Sincerely,
YahooMail Team

 

References
Friend Stranded in Foreign Country Scam Emails
Hotmail Account Closure Phishing Scam
Gmail Account Phishing Scam
Webmail Account Phishing Scam
Yahoo Account Deletion Hoax
How can I recognize a phishing email?

comments powered by Last updated: 17th March 2011
First published: 9th June 2008
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer

Best Regards,

Your Friend