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Credit: Bryan Belrad | ©Bryan Belrad
This is an email I received this morning (links disabled).
* * * * *
Subject: Ana sent you an E-card
From: "HALLMARK ECARD"
Date: Mon, March 24, 2008 5:19 am
Priority: Normal
Options: View Full Header | View Printable Version | Download this as a file | View as plain text
Hello!
You have received a Hallmark E-Card.
To see it, click here,
There's something special about that E-Card feeling. We invite you to make a friend's day and send one.
Hope to see you soon,
Your friends at Hallmark
* * * * *
While the "send one" link does go to Hallmark (in this case), the "see it" link actually goes to a .exe file on an unrelated website. This is an adaptation of a well-known scheme where false links are implanted in a real-looking email. When the link is clicked, whatever program is on the other end is installed.
Prevention:
It is impossible to verify that an email is legitimate by looking at the sender's email address alone. As you can see in the sample above, this message's sender masked his or her own email, and replaced it with a Hallmark.com ID.
There are numerous other tricks scammers can use to convince you that a fake email is real. The only way to be sure is to pay attention to what you're clicking. If you hover your cursor over a link, the destination web address will display on your screen, in many cases in the bottom of your browser window. If that website does not exactly match the sender's, the email is almost definitely malicious.
Some false links will take you to a 'clone' website, where you're asked to enter your login information. The scammer can then use this info to access your account on the actual website. Pay-pal is extremely vulnerable to this kind of scam.
Other false links will lead you to .exe files, like this one. These are programs that you are inadvertently installing on your computer, and they could be viruses, spyware programs, or even programs designed to raid your computer for your personal information and email it back to the sender.
These false emails are very dangerous. Please, take the extra moment to be sure of the site you're about to visit before clicking. It can save you a lot of trouble later.
* * * * *
Subject: Ana sent you an E-card
From: "HALLMARK ECARD"
Date: Mon, March 24, 2008 5:19 am
Priority: Normal
Options: View Full Header | View Printable Version | Download this as a file | View as plain text
Hello!
You have received a Hallmark E-Card.
To see it, click here,
There's something special about that E-Card feeling. We invite you to make a friend's day and send one.
Hope to see you soon,
Your friends at Hallmark
* * * * *
While the "send one" link does go to Hallmark (in this case), the "see it" link actually goes to a .exe file on an unrelated website. This is an adaptation of a well-known scheme where false links are implanted in a real-looking email. When the link is clicked, whatever program is on the other end is installed.
Prevention:
It is impossible to verify that an email is legitimate by looking at the sender's email address alone. As you can see in the sample above, this message's sender masked his or her own email, and replaced it with a Hallmark.com ID.
There are numerous other tricks scammers can use to convince you that a fake email is real. The only way to be sure is to pay attention to what you're clicking. If you hover your cursor over a link, the destination web address will display on your screen, in many cases in the bottom of your browser window. If that website does not exactly match the sender's, the email is almost definitely malicious.
Some false links will take you to a 'clone' website, where you're asked to enter your login information. The scammer can then use this info to access your account on the actual website. Pay-pal is extremely vulnerable to this kind of scam.
Other false links will lead you to .exe files, like this one. These are programs that you are inadvertently installing on your computer, and they could be viruses, spyware programs, or even programs designed to raid your computer for your personal information and email it back to the sender.
These false emails are very dangerous. Please, take the extra moment to be sure of the site you're about to visit before clicking. It can save you a lot of trouble later.
- Get more at www.BelradUniverse.com
Comments
sjc
(Guest)
(Guest)
11/23/2008
Just recieved another Ecard from Hallmark.co.uk, and when you hover over the "click here" no link shows up, To determine whether this is real or a hoax email .......Copy the whole email into Word and when you hover over the "click Here" this website link appears..http:cs.iceman.ro.hallmark.gif and the ending is EXE Hope this helps someone
BUT DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK.!!
Good luck
sjc
(Guest)
(Guest)
11/21/2008
This is the website that it originates from, as I copied the whole email into Word and the email shows itself.. .....as I had opened it from my Inbox and got two viruses.. beroncho.com/hallmark.gif.exe
This virus I have been informed..also goes into your email senders account and sends an e card to all your friends with deadly consequences... these people ought to be sent an Ecard themselves and see how they like it...!!!
Hope this helps someone..
TC
(Guest)
(Guest)
11/18/2008
you got a virus called W32.Mytob@mm - W32.Mytob.@mm is a mass-mailing worm that uses it own SMTP engine to send an email to addresses that it gathers from the Windows Address Book on the compromised computer. The worm also has the ability to open a back door and spread through the network by exploiting vulnerabilities.
I just got this email this morning. No header, but my email subject said : POSTCARD from HALLMARK - security risk found in message and when I opened the email, it went on to say that it deleted a file but left the email 'whole' and it advised me NOT to download the .exe file attached.
So About.com and Snopes are both VERY wrong about this. They both put out there that this is a HOAX. I'm no dummy, this is a real one.
joe
(Guest)
(Guest)
11/10/2008
Just checked my e-mail and had message informing that a friend had sent me a ecard. Open the file but my anti-virus detected a virus and it was deleted . This card came from postcards@hallmark.com
dios`eneru
(Guest)
(Guest)
10/28/2008
yeah!..it is true..if you want i`ll send it to you ^____^v,,
fawn2002com
(Guest)
(Guest)
08/31/2008
The one I received had the downloadable file which read picFUNNY.gif.exe anything that is downloadable. if a new window opens it should only be a webpage. never place a password using a link, always directly use a web address before using password. I had 1500 dollars stolen that way
Donna
(Guest)
(Guest)
08/04/2008
it is very true!!!!!!!! I opened the file thinking it was a thoughtful card from a friend and now my laptop is going haywire!! It is trying to send out fake emails to all my friends in my contact list!! i changed all my passwords...
Vidge
(Guest)
(Guest)
08/03/2008
This is true. I have received 4 over the past week but my security systems have stopped me from opening them. My daughter has received 8 to date.
david
(Guest)
(Guest)
07/29/2008
its now known as one of the biggest viruses in the world big threats it delet the hole of ure c drive the time its finish ure computer is fried
I also recieved a hallmark Ecard with a zip postca
(Guest)
(Guest)
07/28/2008
I also received a hallmark E-card with a zip postcard attachment. Yahoo mail detected the virus
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