"UPS tracking" scams

[Red Squirrel]

Anyone else when they order something online get these scam emails that are made to look like a UPS email but are actually some kind of scam? Basically it's an email saying they were not able to ship my package and to click the link. The URL goes to some domain that is in Ukraine. Out of curiosity I went to the main domain but it's invalid, probably got shut down by their web provider. I'm on Linux so I doubt any drive by that would have been there would not have worked anyway.

The part that's kinda creepy is, how do these scammers know that I ordered something online the day before?

 

[Raizinman]

Welcome to the world of the Internet. Yes, there are UPS scams, Microsoft scams, and many more. Were you sleeping for a long time?

 

[Red Squirrel]

No, you don't get it. How do they know that I ordered something online, so that they can send me the email? This is not random like most scams. I'm on Linux, so I doubt I have some kind of spyware. I'm going to guess it's something to do with some kind of ad network that is on the sites I buy from. (ebay, tigerdirect, NCIX mostly)

 

[Miramonti]

/edit: How do you know it's related to your purchase?


Don't feel targeted or singled out, everybody gets those emails. There is a new internet scam phenomenon, called phishing. Or emails to get one to open the attachment to go to their malware'd site. Very new tho, not many have heard of them.

 

[DesiPower]

I get these spams almost every day

 

[purbeast0]

/edit: How do you know it's related to your purchase?


Don't feel targeted or singled out, everybody gets those emails. There is a new internet scam phenomenon, called phishing. Or emails to get one to open the attachment to go to their malware'd site. Very new tho, not many have heard of them.

lol!

 

[waggy]

bwhahah

/facepalm

 

[Saint Nick]

They are probably spammed out and just coincidentally hit people who happen to have real packages in transit.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I only get those the day after I ordered something. So that's why I find it's weird. First time, coincidence, second time, coincidence, but every time? Is there a way to tell how many purchases an ebay member made? Maybe it's some kind of bot that monitors accounts or something. Though that would only explain ebay purchases.

Then there's the WoW scams, can tell those are sent random with little to no reasearch. I get those all the time and don't even play WoW. LOL.

 

[bruceb]

I have seen these hit the spam box from USPS, Fedex and UPS ... in all cases, you are advised Not To Open any attachment included with it. Legitimate shippers, will email you with the tracking info in the email and it will also include your name and the order number. Some companies, like Amazon, you can track your orders right from Amazon.com on the open orders page.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have seen these hit the spam box from USPS, Fedex and UPS ... in all cases, you are advised Not To Open any attachment included with it. Legitimate shippers, will email you with the tracking info in the email and it will also include your name and the order number. Some companies, like Amazon, you can track your orders right from Amazon.com on the open orders page.

I know not to open them. I'm more curious to know how they do it. Sometimes I get one even if seller did not send with UPS though, so their method is not 100% perfect. It's kinda amusing getting a Canada Post notice (real one) followed by one of these scams. They have something interesting going on, but they still have to try harder.

 

[waggy]

I know not to open them. I'm more curious to know how they do it.

..

they MASS email people. they just got lucky in the fact you actually ordered something.

/facepalm

 

[bruceb]

Most of them, as mentioned above, are probably not directly targeted to you. I have seem them and I know I have not placed any recent orders. So they are just random spamming.

 

[Miramonti]

I only get those the day after I ordered something. So that's why I find it's weird. First time, coincidence, second time, coincidence, but every time? Is there a way to tell how many purchases an ebay member made? Maybe it's some kind of bot that monitors accounts or something. Though that would only explain ebay purchases.

Then there's the WoW scams, can tell those are sent random with little to no reasearch. I get those all the time and don't even play WoW. LOL.

Ok let's say, for example, that you're really not a paranoid schizophrenic...

if this happens with purchases on various sites, there could be a trojan in either your email provider, your isp, or on your system. Should we poll which option people think might be more likely?...

 

[olds]

 

[Lifted]

The part that's kinda creepy is, how do these scammers know that I ordered something online the day before?

They're tracking you by your tin foil hat.

I hear unobtanium hats defeat their tracking technology.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Ok let's say, for example, that you're really not a paranoid schizophrenic...

if this happens with purchases on various sites, there could be a trojan in either your email provider, your isp, or on your system. Should we poll which option people think might be more likely?...

Never thought it could be something on my systems but I doubt it since I'm running all Linux, and something this large scale would probably target windows. Suppose I can't rule it out though, I'll have to double check everything is sound on my mail server. But considering I run SSH on a different port (bots only usually check 22) and it takes 2 passwords I highly doubt it. I can probably rule out 100% that it's a human that did it as well. It's just too large scale for scammers to actually be targeting people one by one.

I'm thinking it's something external though, and not to do with any of my systems.

I'm not really paranoid, I'm just curious how these work. People who ARE paranoid often ask me these things when the same happens to them, it's always nice to have an answer instead of saying "I don't know" or "I think" since that just gets them going even more. What makes these special is that they arn't random like lot of other phishing scams.

 

[waggy]

oh god.. odds are you got a virus. or someone broke in and put a keylogger.

I would trash that computer and get a new one. you are fucked.

 

[robphelan]

They're tracking you by your tin foil hat.

I hear unobtanium hats defeat their tracking technology.

pfft.. everyone knows it's vibranium that defeats the tracking, poindexter.

 

[Crusty]

I only get those the day after I ordered something. So that's why I find it's weird. First time, coincidence, second time, coincidence, but every time? Is there a way to tell how many purchases an ebay member made? Maybe it's some kind of bot that monitors accounts or something. Though that would only explain ebay purchases.

Then there's the WoW scams, can tell those are sent random with little to no reasearch. I get those all the time and don't even play WoW. LOL.

Confirmation_bias

 

[bigrash]

Your computer has been infected by a virus. Throw it in the trash now.