Is This a SCAM?

Rick Granick

SPFG, Supreme Picture Framing God
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I received this email today. Don't have any idea what this is, and certainly didn't order anything. I'm hoping this is just a phishing expedition or some other scam attempt. Notice the (810) area code. Anyone else get something like this, or is this something I need to look into?

Screenshot 2024-10-30 at 11.40.42 AM.webp


:coffeedrinker2: Rick
 
I feel like I've gotten this one before. Worse yet are all of the random paypal invoices I get(one every other day). I rarely use paypal, so I just report them as soon as they come in. I pay more attention to all of my account charges that are collected in quickbooks every few days and ignore the random emails.
 
If it was from a GMAIL account, it is a scam.

In this case, the ONMICROSOFT.COM is a known fake site. It looks almost real, otherwise! :)
 
I received this email today. Don't have any idea what this is, and certainly didn't order anything. I'm hoping this is just a phishing expedition or some other scam attempt. Notice the (810) area code. Anyone else get something like this, or is this something I need to look into?

View attachment 50371

:coffeedrinker2: Rick
Rick, Microsoft 365 (Business or Personal) ain't free: To use it, you have to buy/pay for it, & Microsoft is rather pushy when promoting their products or upgrades, even offering free-trial-periods, but can't simply give you said free-trials or charge you for something without your consent. If you have any qualms about this would-be email-billing, check your billing accounts for any unknown charges --- if there are none, you're in the clear & this is just some scam; if you've been "billed" without your consent, deal with it while the charge is still fresh. (Nowadays, it's difficult to even ascertain if these types of emails come from legitimate or fraudulent sources.)

Larry is absolutely accurate in what he says regarding these "emails" --- I've just added a few extra "footnotes" from my own personal experiences with Microsoft which for many months has been attempting to shove their 365 Program down my throat (personal computer) even though I neither want nor need it, & there's no way to delete said advertising! Constant visual irritant.
 
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I got a similar one a while back (lower amount though)
I always go to the website directly, never follow a link. Of course nothing in there. I also don't have a credit card linked to Microsoft

They are getting better, with email addresses that almost could be legit
 
I got a similar one a while back (lower amount though)
I always go to the website directly, never follow a link. Of course nothing in there. I also don't have a credit card linked to Microsoft

They are getting better, with email addresses that almost could be legit
And with the advent of AI, how much better will these become? (Shudder.)
 
I'm just gonna delete it and forget it. I have no connection with Microsoft (other than a Hotmail account), and on a Mac system so don't even use their OS.
For Mike or anyone else interested, here is a screenshot of the code attached to their "Admin Center" link.

Screenshot 2024-10-30 at 2.08.23 PM.webp


:coffeedrinker2: Rick
 
And with the advent of AI, how much better will these become? (Shudder.)
AI should also be better at marking them spam/scam/phishing...
 
AI should also be better at marking them spam/scam/phishing...
I think aI is being used on both sides of the equation.

We are seeing much greater than usual activity, ai spammers and scammers trying to get accounts on the forum. They keep us on our toes!
 
I’m betting everyone here knows someone who’s been victimized by online scammers.

So my perpetual question is: “Given that online crime is so pervasive, why are there no online police forces catching the bad guys?”

I’ve asked my local force, when they’re not out catching criminals exceeding the speed limit by 10 mph, and I’m always told “It’s not in our jurisdiction”.

Sooner or later, someone with an IQ will establish a national online police agency, to work with others with the same international mandate.

Coincidentally, Alan Yaffe’s post above triggered this. My two most recent tickets came from driving my kids to Trent U in Peterborough.
 
That stuff comes from other countries, usually, far from the reach of US law/jurisdiction.

They do crack down on local crimes, like people who take advantage of elderly citizens pretending to have a neice or nephew needing money, etc.
 
A consortium of countries working together can put pressure on India, Russia and the other major offenders to put a force together to solve the problem.

Right now, the only people working to identify foreign scammers are those crazy Youtubers. Their videos are amazing. Give them a badge, a gun, and a keyboard, then turn them loose.
 
Most of them also hide behind several layers of proxies/vpn, and it is nearly impossible to trace the origin. They can always follow where the money goes, though!
 
Supreme arrogance.

Now I know better.

lol: my kids are now getting nailed by photo radar in Ottawa. So take all that revenue, and put it towards fighting online crime.
 
What grinds my gears is the way Facebook gets in people's faces and polices "unsuitable content" but lets scammers advertise their phony Bitcoin Trading platforms using images of well-known identities without their permission or knowledge.
 
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