Is this a scam?

[medhead]

So if the scammers typed the booking ref properly, which they now know how to do if they read this thread, people would have been confident opening the unsafe, dodgy as a $3 note zip file? Hope you have good virus detectors guys...

Have you read the thread? A number of issues have been noted including the zip file. So no, no one has drawn such a conclusion. Besides you.

 

[JohnK]

With so many airline bookings, hotel reservations etc it would be difficult to know something is a scam.

Generally if I see an email from Qantas, Virgin etc I will open it. I will think twice about clicking links on it but I have done so from HotelClub, Agoda emails etc.

What information could the scammers possibly get from me? Account numbers and passwords from the "fake" website?

 

[moa999]

Or dump a Trojan virus on your computer (most of the ones with a zip attachment).

But yes, less risk than the bank emails.

 

[Mal]

Generally the attachment if run will download another piece of software and take over certain actions on the machine. These days its mostly about gaining bank login information/ access to online banking but can also be used to send out spam emails to other or capture other accounts on the machine.

 

[Flying mermaid]

With so many airline bookings, hotel reservations etc it would be difficult to know something is a scam.

Generally if I see an email from Qantas, Virgin etc I will open it. I will think twice about clicking links on it but I have done so from HotelClub, Agoda emails etc.

What information could the scammers possibly get from me? Account numbers and passwords from the "fake" website?

A lot of these ones are "trojans" that then basically open up your computer to other people to access

"The affects of a trojan virus can vary; some trojans are simply a nuisance and do mischief like changing your desktop icons or changing other visual features. Other trojans are designed to destroy computer files, folders and programs.Trojans also may create backdoors. A backdoor virus gives hackers access to that computer. In this way, cybercriminals can obtain your personal and confidential data."

So not just as benign as your account no and password from an unimportant site. Often having opened the file it doesn't look as though anything has happened and you don't go to any site, so you are totally unaware that malware has been loaded (unless you have a good virus checker of course).

 

[Hvr]

Ironically enough I got one of these emails yesterday and it went straight to the spam box. I had a look at it without opening it and while it was close, there were just too many little things that didn't look quite right. Way too busy and of course the incorrect PNR format.

Still it is always good to be aware of these things just to remind yourself that not everything is as it seems on the Internet. Who would've thought?

 

[JohnK]

A lot of these ones are "trojans" that then basically open up your computer to other people to access

So just by opening the email that can cause damage to the PC?

 

[Flying mermaid]

So just by opening the email that can cause damage to the PC?

no you have to actually open the zip file. It all looks quite innocuous but loads a "Trojan" onto your computer. I just get rid of anything with a zip file now,unless I am expecting one - even though I have good virus checking software, it isn't worth taking a chance.

 

[JohnK]

no you have to actually open the zip file. It all looks quite innocuous but loads a "Trojan" onto your computer. I just get rid of anything with a zip file now,unless I am expecting one - even though I have good virus checking software, it isn't worth taking a chance.

Oh, ok. No problem then as I hardly ever open attachments unless I know where they are from and I was expecting them.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Oh, ok. No problem then as I hardly ever open attachments unless I know where they are from and I was expecting them.

A very sensible policy! I almost fell for the exit row one last year, as I had just purchased an exit row seat for Master FM. Fortunately it went to the business e-mail rather than my personal one, which made me view with a bit more suspicion.....

 

[Mardi]

If I'm not sure if an email is a scam I hover my mouse over any links. If they look like a whole lot of rubbish, e.g., in this case don't have qantas.com at the start, I can be pretty sure it's a scam. I seem to have a pretty good sense of scam emails.

I heard/read somewhere that the reason that scams are often really obvious is because it filters out the 90% of people that might have any chance of working it out along the line somewhere, so only the really likely candidates will fall for them, from which point it's less work for the scammers.