E-mail from Bruce Holland

[Matthew Turner]

I've had an E-mail reporting to be from Bruce Holland

"Hello there,

The document is attached for you in Google Drive..

VIEW DOC HERE and sign-in with your email to view the document, it's very important..

Thank You,
Bruce"

It looks like a bogus E-mail to me. Anyone else had it/know anything about it

[Roger de Coverly]

It looks like a bogus E-mail to me. Anyone else had it/know anything about it

I've had one as well. He once responded via email to something I had written on the forum. Therefore I think it would have been his personal address book that has been hacked rather than the ECF.

For anyone who doesn't know the feature, usually if you place your mouse cursor over an embedded link, it shows the actual link. In this case it has nothing to do with Google. It's probably a straightforward attempt to harvest gmail passwords, but as always, even visiting malware sites is unwise.

[Paul Bielby]

Yes, I've had it too. Looks very bogus...

[Carl Hibbard]

I am not home to check but it's suspicious yes.

[PeterTurland]

I have not received this email, it might have something to do with the fact that, I don't use Windows.

[Carl Hibbard]

I have not received this email, it might have something to do with the fact that, I don't use Windows.

No relevance Peter I have *everything* and caution is needed.

Home shortly so I will report further.

Bruce notified...

[Carl Hibbard]

Yes horribly fake pretending to come from a @gmail account which I won't repeat, where the actual email address list came from is of more concern.

[PeterTurland]

I have not received this email, it might have something to do with the fact that, I don't use Windows.

No relevance Peter I have *everything* and caution is needed.

Home shortly so I will report further.

Bruce notified...

Yup, sorry mate

[Clive Blackburn]

Yes it is a phishing scam, details here:-

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/google-docs- ... scam.shtml

[Bruce Holland]

I have only recently arrived back home, having been tipped off whilst I was on the move this afternoon and early evening, that it appears my address book on my iMac20 PC has been compromised, through the agency of Google and Google Drive. I'll keep my counsel on what I am thinking about Google right now, but suffice it to say (a) if it turns out to be true that this is the result of the way Google runs it promiscuous and intrusive email service, I shall be very angry, but in a highly controlled and ruthless manner, and (b) it would be imprudent to jump to conclusions right now and I must allow for the possibility that this problem could originate from Hotmail (ergo Microsoft has a responsibility) and perhaps less likely Facebook.

As anyone who knows how I work with the internet and networking technology in general I take security very seriously. That is hardly surprising given my professional background in the last 15 years of my employment. It upsets me to think that at least in excess of 20 people have been touched by this problem which has my name on it. I have to comfort myself that I am not the first to be affected by something like this, nor will I be the last.

I believe I have been touched by something originating from a New Zealand lady, who I first met in 1961 when we were both teenagers, and who has lived in Canada since 1967, for much of that time in Vancouver. I know she has a Facebook account and she is listed as one of my FB friends, and she also has a "real" email account with hotmail.com. I received yesterday an email purporting to come from her email with hotmail. There was something not right about it, and I did carry out some checks that I would typically carry out as an email administrator. The technical traces I pursued did not reveal anything that gave me cause for alarm, with the usual give-aways that signal something that should not be trusted.

The was something about the use of language within the body of the email that did not ring true. Sherryl would not typical start and email with "Hello there", nor did it seem likely that she wanted me to view a document saying "it is important." Finally, I have never known her to sign off an email with "Thank You."

I did click on the link, largely because my earlier check had not alerted me to anything that shouted at me ".... no! don't do it." The link then invited me to sign in to any one of my email accounts, so I chose my new Google account which I was forced to set up as part of running and using my new Samsung Galaxy SIII smartphone, which runs Android, which is now owned by Google. Without doing that I would not be able to run the phone. Nevertheless is is not an email address I publish for anyone else to use, although the Google email environment which is so intrusive, probably ensures that my email account with them intersects with anyone Google judges through its automated systems I might have a connection with.

So there you have it folks. This is as open and honest account of how I perceive myself to have got mixed up in this mess and pottage, and it is grizzly fare.

I'll sign off now to go and cook my dinner, as I have yet to have my main meal of the day. It is getting way too late, but eat I must, as that is the predicament of someone who has diabetes.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Yes it is a phishing scam, details here:-

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/google-docs- ... scam.shtml

ironically, my work computer has blocked hoax-slayer website...

[Greg Breed]

I'd suggest you change your password Bruce and have any confirmation sent to another email account.

[Jon Mahony]

Yes, I've had it too. Looks very bogus...

I had a couple from your email a few months back Paul, saying you were in China or somewhere and had been robbed, all passports and money stolen - it was a straight forward phishing scam though, please enter your name, and bank account no ect, so I can give it to my bank and get some money to fly home. Did you know you’d been hacked?

[Ian Kingston]

Yes, I've had it too. Looks very bogus...

I had a couple from your email a few months back Paul, saying you were in China or somewhere and had been robbed, all passports and money stolen - it was a straight forward phishing scam though, please enter your name, and bank account no ect, so I can give it to my bank and get some money to fly home. Did you know you’d been hacked?

I've seen a version of that one. Somehow the alleged sender managed to make it back for that night's match - must have chartered a supersonic jet with the money.

[Ian Thompson]

Yes, I've had it too. Looks very bogus...

I had a couple from your email a few months back Paul, saying you were in China or somewhere and had been robbed, all passports and money stolen - it was a straight forward phishing scam though, please enter your name, and bank account no ect, so I can give it to my bank and get some money to fly home. Did you know you’d been hacked?

I've seen a version of that one. Somehow the alleged sender managed to make it back for that night's match - must have chartered a supersonic jet with the money.

I had one of those a couple of years ago telling me the person was stranded in Barcelona. I was actually in Barcelona when it arrived! I was very tempted to invite him round to my hotel to sort something out.