I almost fell for a phishing scam

TheChort

Diamond Member
May 20, 2003
4,203
0
76
So I posted my car on Autotrader.com
Today I get an email saying my account has been temporarily suspended because some Italians tried to unsuccessfully log into my account :confused:
In the email is a link for me to re-active my account in 24 hours or all will be lost. So I click, and just as I'm about to start type, the logic part of my brain reactivates.
Screenshot

Even though the website seems to have a legit name, it just makes no sense to me. Maybe it's not a phishing scam, but it doesn't feel right.
I sent autotrader an email, and I'll just wait and see if they have anything to say about it.

Cliffs:
- I get an email asking for personal info in exchange for activating my autotrader account
- I think it's a scam

UPDATE
- Scam Verified. I received a response from the Autotrader customer support.

Dear Vahe,

Recently, some of our customers received emails requesting personal
account information such as email addresses, passwords and ad ID numbers.
These emails, in most cases, contain the AutoTrader.com logo and come
from a variation of an AutoTrader.com email address. Below is an excerpt
taken from the Fraud Awareness Tips which can be found on the home page
of our website. These tips explain that AutoTrader.com will not request
this information by email from any of its customers. If you have
responded to such an email with your account information, please contact the
customer support line to ensure that your ad is secure.

We don't ask you for personal or financial information via email.
Online fraud often begins with a spoof email requesting financial
information. These spoof, or scam, emails often impersonate a reputable
company such as AutoTrader.com by illegally displaying a company's name,
logo or trademark.
The intent is to deceive customers into revealing information such as:
Username
Password
Social security number
Bank account number
Bank routing number
Credit card number
The only time we'll ever request your credit card information is when
you're in the process of purchasing an ad on our website. We will not
take down your listing because you don't provide account information. If
you receive an email that asks for the kinds of information listed
above, don't respond. Instead, report the email to us and to law
enforcement.


If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to
contact Customer Support.


Thank you for using AutoTrader.com,
Brian Rock
AutoTrader.com Customer Support
888-512-0094
 

BrownTown

Diamond Member
Dec 1, 2005
5,314
1
0
sounds pretty scammy to me :p. Everything I have ever tried which only allows a limited number of login failures simply disalows new attempts for a set length of time, it wouldnt make sense to delete your account because of it. If someone knew you were away for a day they could simply try to log in and set this off and then kill you account. Therefore I think you did the right thing.
 

JD50

Lifer
Sep 4, 2005
11,922
2,900
136
umm...did you try logging in to your account? What does the address bar say in the link from the email?
 

neutralizer

Lifer
Oct 4, 2001
11,552
1
0
Obviously fake just because it's not written perfectly and a respectable company wouldn't have random capitalization and punctuation problems.
 

deerslayer

Lifer
Jan 15, 2001
10,153
0
76
"We regret to inform you that your autotrader account , has been temporarily suspended due to various login attempts from different global locations."

Nice comma.....what's it doing in there?
 

mrjminer

Platinum Member
Dec 2, 2005
2,739
16
76
Go to autotrader.com by typing it into your address bar and try logging into your account to see what it says?
 

TheChort

Diamond Member
May 20, 2003
4,203
0
76
I logged on my account and everything is fine
I actually edited my info a bit too, and it already showed up on the website, so I think I'm in the clear :)
 

everman

Lifer
Nov 5, 2002
11,288
1
0
I find that including your full credit card and bank account info speeds up the process, sending them cookies works well too.
 

TheChort

Diamond Member
May 20, 2003
4,203
0
76
I got a response from Autotrader.com
Scam verified

Dear Vahe,

Recently, some of our customers received emails requesting personal
account information such as email addresses, passwords and ad ID numbers.
These emails, in most cases, contain the AutoTrader.com logo and come
from a variation of an AutoTrader.com email address. Below is an excerpt
taken from the Fraud Awareness Tips which can be found on the home page
of our website. These tips explain that AutoTrader.com will not request
this information by email from any of its customers. If you have
responded to such an email with your account information, please contact the
customer support line to ensure that your ad is secure.

We don't ask you for personal or financial information via email.
Online fraud often begins with a spoof email requesting financial
information. These spoof, or scam, emails often impersonate a reputable
company such as AutoTrader.com by illegally displaying a company's name,
logo or trademark.
The intent is to deceive customers into revealing information such as:
Username
Password
Social security number
Bank account number
Bank routing number
Credit card number
The only time we'll ever request your credit card information is when
you're in the process of purchasing an ad on our website. We will not
take down your listing because you don't provide account information. If
you receive an email that asks for the kinds of information listed
above, don't respond. Instead, report the email to us and to law
enforcement.


If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to
contact Customer Support.


Thank you for using AutoTrader.com,
Brian Rock
AutoTrader.com Customer Support
888-512-0094
 

BillGates

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2001
7,388
2
81
I would have laughed my ass off if you fell for such a pathetic scam. Sorry, I guess.
 

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
He forward me the scam. I got the subdomain the link goes to and contacted the abuse mailbox of the hosting company.
 

TheChort

Diamond Member
May 20, 2003
4,203
0
76
Originally posted by: BillGates
I would have laughed my ass off if you fell for such a pathetic scam. Sorry, I guess.

and I would have deserved it
When I got the email I was just zoned out at work between shifts so I wasn't thinking much :p

btw, thanks Sagalore