Greeting Card E-Mail Spoof Alert

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

There is another Internet fraud that is going around, masquarading as a greeting card. Be very aware that real greeting card companies give you a link that starts with the company name, like amercangreetings.com or hallmark.com.

The spoof has a URL address, not a name.

DO NOT CLICK ON THAT LINK!

No one knows for sure what will happen, but it won't be a greeting card from a friend or a classmate, it will be something awful, probably a pretty nasty virus.

See http://www.americangreetings.com/help/help_A.pd?Category=Products&SubCat=eCards&QuestionID=362

or

http://hallmark.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/hallmark.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2189&p_created=1183997011&p_sid=3SlK_IHi&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD0yNTImcF9wcm9kcz0mcF9jYXRzPSZwX3B2PSZwX2N2PSZwX3NlYXJjaF90eXBlPWFuc3dlcnMuc2VhcmNoX25sJnBfcGFnZT0x&p_li=&p_topview=1

for more information.

 

[chefann]

Thanks, KG. I've been getting these stupid "An acquaintance has sent you a greeting card" emails for several weeks now. My personal rule is: if it looks suspicious, it probably is - delete it without opening. But I forget that there are people who are more trusting about what they open.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Someone's DH in Alaska, perhaps?

 

[chefann]

*gasp* I can't believe you typed that out loud! But you're probably right. Poor Gill. DH always says that people who open email from unfamiliar people or, even worse, click on the links in them, are too, um.... intelligence challenged, to own a computer. (Of course, knowing DH, you know that he used a different word. )

 

[itsjustCarla]

I probably get 3 or 4 a day - if not more. The very first one I got, said it was from "Joanna" - which is my neice's name....and since she's getting married, and just had a shower, I truly thought it was legit. I clicked on it, but got very suspicious immediately and closed it out. So far, I haven't seen anything unusual....*keeping my fingers crossed*

 

[aried]

I have been getting those also.

Ann R.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I am getting a ton of those. DON'T EVEN OPEN THE EMAIL - just delete or send it to junk and delete. I didn't click on the link but did get a virus warning and had trouble getting it off my computer. Luckily, it didn't seem to hurt anything.


Too bad - I have a couple people who occasionally send cards that way. If I get one even from them I will talk to them to see if they really sent one before opening.

 

[missydivine]

Thanks for the info, I haven't gotten any yet.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

I've gotten 3 one said a neighbor (have one of those who sends them alot)
one was a classmate (DH 25th class reunion is being planned , so it was possible since all our emails were just sent to the whole class)
3rd one said friend I did try to open (hey, I'm trusting) but nothing would happen it's probably running rampant in my computer.

 

[Chef Endora]

Thanks for the warning. I haven't seen anything like this ....yet.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I got about six more of them today, the subject lines are all along the topic of "You've received a card from a mate!" (Mate? This is the US, Mate, not Australia.) "You've received a funny postcard from a friend," or "You've received a card from a school mate!"Lucky me.

 

[chefann]

Isn't it nice to be so popular?

 

[baychef]

I have gotten these in my junk folder too. Delete, delete, delete! I really hate these "beings" that have nothing better to do than create viruses, worms and all of the other crap that is out there.
I love the greeting card from a classmate...I am not in contact with any and when I am, it is not a greeting card!!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Isn't it nice to be so popular?

This kind of popularity I can do without.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I have gotten these in my junk folder too. Delete, delete, delete! I really hate these "beings" that have nothing better to do than create viruses, worms and all of the other crap that is out there.
I love the greeting card from a classmate...I am not in contact with any and when I am, it is not a greeting card!!

Dunning letters and subpoena?

 

[baychef]

No...don't laugh, but my graduating class was one of the largest in the history of our school. Now it is not uncommon to reach this number and rarely is it exceeded.
30 were in our graduating class! Don't need the bifocals...you read it correctly! My brother graduated 4 years before me and his class was a whopping 16!!!
I run into classmates now and again, but we are not the "greeting card" exchanging crowd. In fact there is one that I avoid at all costs. Gives me the creeps...the only one that has not changed since high school. Ok...maybe somewhat...weirder than he used to be!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I think my mother went to the same small high school in Wisconsin. I think there were 11 in her graduating class. One of her classmates used to steal chickens from her family, and he grew up to be founder & president of the largest savings and loan in Wisconsin. He retired just before the thrifts all collapsed in the '80s. I used to tease her about why she didn't marry him.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Now I just received a greeting card from my neighbour.Neighbour?I wonder if this is what's it's like to read the colourful Brit version of Harry Potter?

 

[katie0128]

I am getting a ton of those. DON'T EVEN OPEN THE EMAIL - just delete or send it to junk and delete. I didn't click on the link but did get a virus warning and had trouble getting it off my computer. Luckily, it didn't seem to hurt anything.


Too bad - I have a couple people who occasionally send cards that way. If I get one even from them I will talk to them to see if they really sent one before opening.

DH's cousin sends lots of cards this way... most are "just to say hi" cards, so I'm used to getting them for no particular reason. Of course, one of these great virus cards had her name on it, so of course, I opened it - but fortunately didn't click on the link. When I realized what it was, I called her and gave her a heads up not to send anymore cards like this for a bit. Carla - I'm with ya in the finger crossing department!

 

[baychef]

Now I just received a greeting card from my neighbour.

Neighbour?

I wonder if this is what's it's like to read the colourful Brit version of Harry Potter?

Or it could be from Canada. That is the way the spell colour.

Now, I am assuming your Mom is just a TAD older than I am!!!! My father went to a one room school house. Some colorful (or colourful, if you prefer) stories from his years as a youth!!!

This school is in New York state and total enrollment to this day hovers around 350...Kindergarten through 12 grade...all in one building. Trust me when I say, you couldn't get away with a thing! And trust, your parents knew before you walked in the door what you had done. Except in those days...they didn't try to tell the teacher that THEIR child couldn't have done THAT!! No, they reassured the teacher that it would be dealt with at home as well!!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

She's also a tad more dead. But her little high school is still there, albeit a bit larger now as kids are coming in from all over that part of the county.

 

[baychef]

She's also a tad more dead. But her little high school is still there, albeit a bit larger now as kids are coming in from all over that part of the county.

So sorry about Mom. Did they centralize the district that her high school was in?

The school district I work in has 8 buildings, 3500 students and growing. We are near Fort Drum military post. 10th Mountain and the post where the 2 missing soldiers are based. You know, the ones you never hear about any more.
We have children from all over the world. Either 17 or 19 languages are spoken by our student population. Quite a change from my humble beginnings!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Don't worry about it - it happens to the best of us, sooner or later. She wanted her epitaph to read, "You see? I TOLD them I was sick." Ah, but there isn't enough room. I found some interesting stats about her school at http://www.publicschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/89251 and how many schools can say they have their own forest?http://www.elcho.k12.wi.us/forest/images/Dsc00977.jpgThere's also a website that lists graduating classes as listed in the "local" paper, the Antigo Daily Journal. Naturally, her class is one of the ones that is missing. I did find my cousin Myrtle, though, she graduated in 1922. (She just passed on a couple of years ago.)

 

[Christ Follower]

Hey, I send e-card for real through a legit card company! I hope people aren't deleting my stuff! I spend $12 a year to be able to spread some cheer! :0)

 

[chefann]

This school is in New York state and total enrollment to this day hovers around 350...Kindergarten through 12 grade...all in one building. Trust me when I say, you couldn't get away with a thing! And trust, your parents knew before you walked in the door what you had done. Except in those days...they didn't try to tell the teacher that THEIR child couldn't have done THAT!! No, they reassured the teacher that it would be dealt with at home as well!!

That sounds like the "district" in which I student-taught. Around 30 students per grade, and one campus (technically, the Grade school and High school were separate buildings, but they were connected by the cafeteria and other common rooms).

 

[Teresa Lynn]

We had 20 in our graduating class & 2 were Foreign exchange students.

 

[tclark]

Thanks for the warning, I've been getting tons of these in my junk mail folder.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

You're welcome...nice to know that I'm valued around here for more than just being a smarta$s.Of course, we all do what we do best, I suppose.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Hey, I send e-card for real through a legit card company! I hope people aren't deleting my stuff! I spend $12 a year to be able to spread some cheer! :0)

Folks just need to be smart enough to know that a link to a legitimate website (greeting card or other) will be something like http://www.chefsuccess.com (hallmark.com, americangreetings.com, etc.) and not an IP number. Don't ever click on a link that starts with something like http;//75.204.32.83 or similar and not a name. (Unless you happen to know that particular IP.)

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

The spammers are at least entertaining...from the boring "Please contact (me, my office, my staff, etc.) immediately" to the one this morning: J4eger-LeCoultre repl1ca w4tch at Prest1ge Repl1cas Oh, sure, I'm dumb enough to open one of those. Unfortunately, enough people are dumb enough to open those, which sends a signal back to the spammer that you have an active email addy, so you get even MORE spam.