How to Avoid Phishing

I opened two e-mails in my mailbox this morning. As for the first one, I get that kind of message fairly often. As for the second one, I don't get that kind of message very often at all. When I opened the e-mail titled "FREE CAREER Seminar with Training and Job Offer (50-70K)" from one 'URVI SONI', I knew that it was not a legitimate e-mail -- one that would be addressed to me, and even better from someone that I know -- but I was curious to see if it was connected to all of the job search activity that I have been conducting recently.

The e-mail begins, "Hi,

"I am writing to you from MLC College of Business, Technology and Healthcare.


"We are a career transition college providing services to Consultants and students to develop unique ERP/ERM consulting skills which typically would enhance their chances of employment / more productive employment (if already employed) from current 10-20% to 80-90%. The college unlike other colleges focuses on building real-life skills based on training that will create a new breed of highly paid executives in the industry."

I hope you are not reading this too carefully. Really I just scanned it for proof of BS. Anyway, it got funnier. "We have specifically selected your resume based on your experience and skills as we feel that you are an ideal fit for a Career transition into a business consulting area like SAP, Compliance Act - Sarbanes and Oxley (SOX) etc." Now, rest assured at this point that I am thouroughly not interested (not interested in the Seminar; completely interested in URVI's spam mail practice.) because SOX is old hat. The "Hi," without my name is enough to let me know that this looser didn't even take the time to use all of the scripting features in his e-mail spammer.

So that was that. All of a minute's e-mail read. It got more interesting when I opened the very next e-mail message, titled "An Important Message to Our Valued Monster Customers" by one 'Monster'. The bottom of the e-mail was actually signed (they used a gif of the guy's signature)

"Sincerely,
[gif]

Sal Iannuzzi

Chairman and CEO
Monster Worldwide"

I won't take the time to reproduce the gif file here. This second e-mail is what I call a legitimate e-mail: this particular CEO is trying to save his career because there was a major security breach at his information-based company. Among other things, Sal said, "As you may be aware, the Monster resume database was recently the target of malicious activity that involved the illegal downloading of information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for some of our job seekers with resumes posted on Monster sites." In another place, Sal also said, "The Company has determined that this incident is not the first time Monster’s database has been the target of criminal activity. Due to the significant amount of uncertainty in determining which individual job seekers may have been impacted, Monster felt that it was in your best interest to take the precautionary steps of reaching out to you and all Monster job seekers regarding this issue. Monster believes illegally downloaded contact information may be used to lure job seekers into opening a “phishing” email that attempts to acquire financial information or lure job seekers into fraudulent financial transactions."

This is the point where I need some reader feedback. By "a 'phishing' email that attempts to acquire financial information or lure job seekers into fraudulent financial transactions," is he not talking about the same old guy in some African country who has all this money locked up in US accounts and he just needs your signature and social security number and five thousand dollars and then he'll gladly share all of his money with you? So now there is some guy in Mississauga (the seminar is "Thursday 6th Sept, 2007 Timing: 5:30 PM Local Time") ready to literally or figuratively beat me up and take my money.

People beware!

Fortunately, I have been on the Internet long enough that anyone who wants to use my e-mail address without bothering to use my name has all of the Google cache they need to get the job done.