Spoofed!

The damn thieves on the internet are getting smarter. In the past they have sent emails that actually look generic, but today they got me.

I reveived an email from "PayPal" saying that they had processed my payment of $370 for an iPod. It looked real- it used my name. I hit the link to stop the transaction. I input my password (which contains symbols, numbers and letters) which was rejected.

Then I really panicked. I closed the page, pulled up the real PayPal, changed my password, forwarded the spoof & called to make sure I did it all quickly enough.

I was told that the iPod email is making the rounds. I tried to copy the one I got but it wouldn't copy. I do remember that the zip code listed for me was wrong and the shipping was from Houston, TX. And, not to offend anyone, the "seller" had a middle eastern sounding name.

So.... The moral of this story is: Use symbols, caps & lower letters AND numbers in your passwords. If you get an email reporting payment for something you didn't purchase DO NOT click any links. Load a new page and input the web address you use to access your account. Report the spoof immediately. And then let the rest of us know.

This concludes your public service announcement for today.

But, on a funny note, the account my PayPal is tied to has no money in it. I only keep enough in it for the small purchases I make. They wouldn't have gotten any money anyway. :) Thank God.