Be Careful Of E-mails With A Worm/Spyware Attack

[tex]

I had one of these in my mailbox this afternoon. The subject line said, "You've received a postcard from a family member!". Here's a copy of the body of the e-mail, (I've modified the links by adding a "[" at the front of each link, to keep the system from showing them as live links):

Good day.

Your family member has sent you an ecard from jcstark.hk.

Send free ecards from jcstark.hk with your choice of colors, words and music.

Your ecard will be available with us for the next 30 days. If you wish to keep the ecard longer, you may save it on your computer or take a print.

To view your ecard, choose from any of the following options:

--------
OPTION 1
--------

Click on the following Internet address or
copy & paste it into your browser's address box.

[http://jcstark.hk/?ce8230135456ec290b51

--------
OPTION 2
--------

Copy & paste the ecard number in the "View Your Card" box at [http://jcstark.hk/

Your ecard number is
ce8230135456ec290b51

Best wishes,
Postmaster,
jcstark.hk

*If you would like to send someone an ecard, you can do so at [http://jcstark.hk/

.

If you click on a link, you will automatically download some stuff that you definitely don't want on your computer.

Most of these sites end with ".hk/". Some more examples of links to disaster are:

[http://hxicing.hk/
[http://zlnewly.hk/
[http://arpower.hk/
[http://nfhare.hk/
[http://hxicing.hk/
[http://zlnewly.hk/
[http://arpower.hk/
[http://nfhare.hk/
[http://fnfame.hk/
[http://smsale.hk/
[http://ngvein.hk/
[http://zzease.com/
[http://mgsilky.hk/
[http://ksjab.hk/
[http://koride.hk/
[http://onleak.hk/

If you accidentally open one of these before you realize what you're doing, close your browser immediately, and run two or three good anti-virus and spyware programs, to get them back off your computer, in case they are successfully downloaded before you can close your browser.

As always, be careful when opening emails from someone you don't recognize. Most legitimate e-cards send e-mails that contain the name of the sender in the subject line. Don't open them, if you don't recognize the name, (or if the name is missing).

Tex

[starfire]

Thanks, Tex.

Sorry you had to experience that.

I will try to be especially alert about those things.

Love, Shirley

[barbaranoela]

thanks from me too Galahad--

always a good thing to put us on the alert cus sometimes I just click away--

Bad Habit---
Barbara

[annie oakley]

I don't open those Tex...My family does not send those types of greetings. But thanks for the heads up....will def look out for it Love Oma

[Pat]

I've been receiving those too, but I didn't open them. If I don't recognize the sender it gets deleted!
Thanks for the heads up!
Pat

[Liz]

Hi Wayne
There is just so much bad stuff around these days. I have been getting heaps of spam & physhing emails lately. They go straight in to my junkmail folder in outlook. I don't open anything from anyone that I don't know & if I receive an attachment, even from friends or family, I scan it before opening. You never know when they may have been the victim of some horrible attack. My antivirus updates automatically & I run it frequently. Also use Adaware & other scanning programs periodically just to make sure.

The latest rubbish asks me to confirm my purchase of a camera for over $800. I was supposed follow the link & enter my banking details to confirm the order. I can't believe that people are still falling for these scams. There have been enough warnings about them. With the Nigerian scam etc. I think that greed just plain blinds people to the risks that they are taking.

So glad that you did not get taken in Wayne. And thanks for putting out the warning.

Love

Liz