David Craig, on July 12th, 2019(Friday 2nd blog)
Below is an email I’ve just received. Supposedly it’s from PayPal and it had all the correct PayPal logos. But I know it’s a scam as it was sent to an email account that isn’t connected to my PayPal account. Also the email address this came from support450ppl@intel.com didn’t look like a genuine PayPal email address.
Beware and don’t click on the link to supposedly ‘unblock’ your PayPal account.
| Dear Paypal оnline Custоmer,
Аs part оf оur cоmmitment tо help keep yоur accоunt secure, Please click Here and fоllоw the instructiоns tо unlоck yоur accоunt. We are here tо assist yоu anytime. Yоur accоunt security is оur priоrity. Thank yоu fоr chооsing PayPal. |
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I always hover my mouse over suspicious links and read the URL they point to, in the status bar at the bottom of the screen. Simple trick that saves many worries, but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t know that.
VERY important! Thank you David for pointing this out for those who may have been unaware. I’ve received similar phishing emails from time to time. PayPal emphasise that they NEVER send emails addressed to “Dear customer” or, “Valued on-line client” or “Dear user”, or similar inventions. Genuine PayPal communications are unfailingly addressed to the user by that user’s actual name. Do as Chris Dark advises with all emails received from someone you are not absolutely sure is genuine. Above all, NEVER open attachments to an email from an unknown source, however curious you are or however tempting they may appear. They may well contain embedded malware waiting to be imported onto your system. I almost fell for a scam many years ago, when I was less savvy, less cynical than I am now. I received an email purporting to offer me a tax refund – all I needed to do was enter my bank details. The heading appeared genuine – HMRC.Gov. The sum offered appeared reasonable, the sort of amount by which I could easily have been inadvertently overtaxed. Fortunately, the penny dropped when the email text referred to “fiscal activity”. When did our Tax officials ever use that term? What a vile world it is now in many ways! Not least the now-routine sort of “social interaction” shown in your earlier Friday blog.
On a different note, anybody clock the ominous and outrageous implications behind this toxic article in the Mail today:
“Ian Beale’s teenage son will turn to Islam to find peace after leaving prison for killing his sister in EastEnders storyline designed ‘to challenge prejudices about faith’
EastEnders bosses have been working with Muslim youth workers ahead of a storyline which sees jailed Bobby Beale explore Islam.
Producers have said they want to show the positive impact of religion in 21st-century society, with Bobby – played by Clay Milner Russell – taking a new direction after leaving prison.
The Muslim Youth Helpline has been working with producers of the soap to offer advice on the character’s new story arc.
EastEnders fans will see Bobby – the son of show stalwart Ian Beale begin to explore the Islamic faith, and its positive impact on his life.
The troubled character will be shown receiving comfort and closure with the help of his new beliefs.”
One more reason to scrap the bloody BBC once and for all!
Yes, the state loads the weapon and the BBC pulls the trigger.
Our media are under orders to promote mixed race, LGBT, over-representation of minorities, etc. etc., all pretty obvious stuff to anyone with half a brain. I suppose that excludes Eastenders viewers though.
Somewhat ashamed to admit that I do regularly watch this soap – it’s on at a time which conveniently punctuates day from evening! I watched yesterday’s episode with some suspicion, wondering what it was all about. Now I know! Thanks William for confirming my vague suspicions! It will be off my watching list in future if this story line takes off. (I have continued to watch because, appalling as most of the main protagonists are, the scriptwriters/producers do regularly bring specific issues which deserve an airing to public attention. Not this time though!)
On another completely unrelated issue, have you seen the news today that a NI civil servant, Lee Hegarty, has been paid £10,000 compensation because walking past portraits of the Queen and Philip caused him offence.
May we have the link please Thorpe? This, if accurate, merits widespread news coverage. Judging by those with whom I regularly associate, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are accorded unqualified admiration by British people.
One link to Hegarty
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/civil-servant-queen-portrait-northern-ireland-lee-hegarty-lord-maginnis-nio-a9002086.html