I dodged a bullet

[KegRiver]

I just dodged a bullet.

An electronic bullet.

I responded to a item for sale in the buy sell threads.
Within an hour I got two emails claiming to be invoices from someone with the same name in the email address as the seller was using.

Of course I clicked on the attachment even though I noticed it was a zip file, or masquerading as a zip file. I remember thinking that odd but since I WAS expecting an email from someone using that given name I went ahead and clicked on it.

That's where the dodging came in. My virus software stopped the action and warned me that the attachment was malicious software.

Now the thing that makes this especially suspect is that this email has never received so much as one spam email much less malicious spam, since I opened the account.
Couple that with the given name used and the timing and I have no doubt that this is connected with my response to that item for sale.

I'm also about 90 percent convinced that the seller had no idea and no part in this other then to have a infected machine, which probably happened the way it almost happened to me.

So be extra cautious folks. These scammers are now using legitimate transactions to spread malicious software.

Never ever click on/open or look at a zip file or what appears to be a zip file, unless you know for sure that it is not malicious software.

[Reeves1]

I most often check my mail on the server before down loading them.

Found one like yours yesterday & it got reported as spam & deleted, on/from the server.

Takes more time this way, but way safer.

[Newview01]

Anytime there is a zip file I can be 100% sure its spam, unless I personally know the sender. Most people are using dropbox or a similar system nowadays.

[Rastus]

It is "ABSOLUTLY" amazing that people are burned this way. If it is a zip, or an exe, file it is going to burn you. If the sender is different from what you know and the file is included? run. Another way they pretend to get at you is, if the sender is different from the Email address, example, joeblow@bell.net saying that you have x number of days to fix up your account at bell.net and to send him your bell.net information, DUD!!!!!!!! Take a look at the file? if it is one of the two above, "RUN" and delete. If it is a joeblow file, "RUN" and delete. Oh! by the way I have an uncle who died in Nigeria and left me 70 million dollars. Just send me 10 million and let me use your name and I will pay you 35 million. It is just scary that these people still send out letters and people just answer them, "GREED"

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Rastus

It is "ABSOLUTLY" amazing that people are burned this way. If it is a zip, or an exe, file it is going to burn you. If the sender is different from what you know and the file is included? run. Another way they pretend to get at you is, if the sender is different from the Email address, example, joeblow@bell.net saying that you have x number of days to fix up your account at bell.net and to send him your bell.net information, DUD!!!!!!!! Take a look at the file? if it is one of the two above, "RUN" and delete. If it is a joeblow file, "RUN" and delete. Oh! by the way I have an uncle who died in Nigeria and left me 70 million dollars. Just send me 10 million and let me use your name and I will pay you 35 million. It is just scary that these people still send out letters and people just answer them, "GREED"

That's the problem, these new scams use a name you KNOW you will be getting an email invoice from.

I did notice it was a zip file and I did know that zip file scams are a plaque, but I thought it was from the expected source.

If I had been more careful I would have noticed that there were differences in the name overall and that would have tipped me to it being a scam.
But I expected an invoice and it did say it was an invoice and it did use the right first name.

That's what made this scam more dangerous. They use information about an order to put you off guard and it nearly worked.

I get a dozen or more of these in my other inbox so I'm used to them, but this account has never got spam of any sort and I was expecting an invoice from someone with that first name.

If they could fool me, what hope is there for someone new to the web? Not that I'm any sort of expert, but I have been around a while.
I got into computers back when the Apple 11E was the computer to have, I had two of them. And an Apple C and a Tandy 1000 and a 386, a 486 and even a Pentium.

This is not the first scam I've seen.

[Rastus]

My 1st Computer was a Commodor, or whatever 32, then went to a 64 and on from there. Learned basic and then they developed Windows. Oh Well!!!!!!!

[Reeves1]