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• G.I. Joes Phishing on Facebook: A lesson on keeping private things private.

  2008-12-04 11:02PM / 標準BLOG / 會員可以看
  8個評論

  Social networking is great. Except when it is used for phishing, otherwise known as a hacker or just an annoying idiot's attempt at trying to get sensitive information out of someone to later on use for their own purposes.
  
  Now, it's no secret that I am probably one of the world's biggest nerds ever. Albeit, I do it with style, but that's besides the point. Point is, I'm online enough to know better than to respond to some shady requests for information.
  
  So, a few days ago, I get this message on Facebook:
  
  

  Good day, Ms. Yang.
  
  My name is Terrence Lydon. I am conducting an investigation that may involve [NAME CENSORED], whom my information tells me that you attended college with.
  
  Would you be willing to answer a few questions in order to help me further this investigation? My purpose is for information-gathering only.
  
  If for some reason you are not the correct Krystal Yang to be contacted regarding this, please disgreard this message and accept my humblest apologies.
  
  Best,
  
  Terrence Lydon
  
  
  Now, some people might look at this and think it's perfectly normal. This is so not normal it's not even funny. Do NOT respond to messages like these unwittingly -- you might be helping someone phish information that's supposed to be completely private.
  
  I responded rather curtly with "What is this regarding?" and promptly reported his ass to Facebook, also blocking him. (I didn't realize at the time.) And then, I forwarded the message on to my friend, who was shocked to hear that this was happening.
  
  This morning, I receive this message:
  
  
  Ms. Yang:
  
  My name is Cooper MacBride. You had previously been contacted by my coworker, Terrence Lydon. He says that he cannot make further contact with you, and thus I am sending a message in his stead.
  
  To answer your last question to Mr. Lydon as to the nature of your being contacted, he is conducting an investigation for a client who wishes to remain unnamed. The investigation involves the confirmation of information that has been provided by the client, which will lead to having clearer information.
  
  One name that is a part of my inquiry is [NAME CENSORED], whom my information tells me that you attended college with and that you were friendly with her brother.
  
  Would you be willing to answer a few questions in order to help further this investigation? As I said, the purpose is for information-gathering only.
  
  If you would prefer to communicate with me, rather than Mr. Lydon, that is acceptable as well.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Cooper MacBride
  
  
  At this point, I was rather incredulous. Yes, some of this information was true. I did attend college with this individual and I was friendly with her brother. But still, this seemed really, really sketchy to me. A client who wishes to remain unnamed? A confirmation of information to lead to clearer information? Sounds like phishing to me. Unperturbed, I responded:
  
  
  If your client wishes to remain unnamed, and if you don't wish to better explain why you want me to spend my time answering questions for a so-called investigation, other than this answer you have given which is very unsatisfactory, then I will opt out of said investigation and continue to report any further attempts to contact me as harassment to Facebook.
  
  Also, it's rather difficult to believe that G.I. Joe characters would be contacting me.
  
  Consider your ass reported.
  
  Get with the program, yo, I am hardly a newb to the interwebz.
  
  
  Yup, ladies and gents, you read that right.  G. I. Joe characters. I was so confused as to what the hell this was that was happening so started to Google these names -- Terrence Lydon and  Cooper MacBride. The only website online where both names come up is this. Yes. The Complete Guide to G.I. Joe.
  
  These names are totally fabricated. These identities are completely not real. I was talking to phishers with G. I. Joe identities trying to get information out of me about a friend of mine.
  
  What the fuck indeed.
  
  In any case, the moral of the story is -- be careful who you talk to online, especially if they're asking for information or conducting an "investigation."
  
  Never EVER give any kind of personal or private information out to someone over the internet that you do not personally know. And even if you do know that person, never give anything like your social security number, driver's license, or anything that might end up constituting as identity theft.
  
  It's a scary, scary world out there, people. And the internet just makes it easier for shitty people to do even shittier things. So watch your backs!