So I didn't Reply, as such, but instead looked out an old email which I knew >contained his proper address, and sent him a warning message (email) using >that address.
He replied almost immediately ... asking me to purchase an Amazon voucher for >a little girl who will die of a liver complaint unless she gets financial >help.
Note: he now used the term "Apple" in the second message, indicating he
knew more about my system.
I'm not used to this at all, having always used Macs. But my "current" Mac is Mojave - notoriously "unsupported" for some time.
Yesterday I got an email from an old friend .... except that his expressions -
very brief - didn't sound quite like him. The email address looked correct but
I thought maybe it was spoofed (I checked all headers, but I could never understand those well at all.)
So I didn't Reply, as such, but instead looked out an old email which I knew contained his proper address, and sent him a warning message (email) using that address.
He replied almost immediately ... asking me to purchase an Amazon voucher for a little girl who will die of a liver complaint unless she gets financial help. Note: he now used the term "Apple" in the second message, indicating he knew more about my system.
This chilled me! How worried should I be? Reason (what little I have) tells
me that he's still fishing; but things have come on a l-o-n-g way since those crude, crummy early days of mysterious messages from Nigeria (or wherever). So I thought I'd ask opinions from this group!
You may know [from here] that I've just acquired a 2019 iMac which has Sequoia. I _was_ going to ease myself slowly into switching systems (having finally Migrated the Mojave to the Sequoia just last week).
As a result of the visit from the phisher, I'm conducting the switch as of today, Mail and Firefox being the main two apps that I'll be using on Sequoia.
Not yet Usenapp, though this may follow soon, if I can find the time.
I'm not used to this at all, having always used Macs. But my "current" Mac is Mojave - notoriously "unsupported" for some time.
Yesterday I got an email from an old friend .... except that his expressions -
very brief - didn't sound quite like him. The email address looked correct but
I thought maybe it was spoofed (I checked all headers, but I could never understand those well at all.)
So I didn't Reply, as such, but instead looked out an old email which I knew contained his proper address, and sent him a warning message (email) using that address.
He replied almost immediately ... asking me to purchase an Amazon voucher for a little girl who will die of a liver complaint unless she gets financial help. Note: he now used the term "Apple" in the second message, indicating he knew more about my system.
This chilled me! How worried should I be? Reason (what little I have) tells
me that he's still fishing; but things have come on a l-o-n-g way since those crude, crummy early days of mysterious messages from Nigeria (or wherever). So I thought I'd ask opinions from this group!
You may know [from here] that I've just acquired a 2019 iMac which has Sequoia. I _was_ going to ease myself slowly into switching systems (having finally Migrated the Mojave to the Sequoia just last week).
As a result of the visit from the phisher, I'm conducting the switch as of today, Mail and Firefox being the main two apps that I'll be using on Sequoia.
Not yet Usenapp, though this may follow soon, if I can find the time.
Cheers
[Another] John
I'm not used to this at all, having always used Macs. But my "current" Mac is Mojave - notoriously "unsupported" for some time.
Yesterday I got an email from an old friend .... except that his expressions -
very brief - didn't sound quite like him. The email address looked correct but
I thought maybe it was spoofed (I checked all headers, but I could never understand those well at all.)
So I didn't Reply, as such, but instead looked out an old email which I knew contained his proper address, and sent him a warning message (email) using that address.
He replied almost immediately ... asking me to purchase an Amazon voucher for a little girl who will die of a liver complaint unless she gets financial help. Note: he now used the term "Apple" in the second message, indicating he knew more about my system.
This chilled me! How worried should I be? Reason (what little I have) tells
me that he's still fishing; but things have come on a l-o-n-g way since those crude, crummy early days of mysterious messages from Nigeria (or wherever). So I thought I'd ask opinions from this group!
You may know [from here] that I've just acquired a 2019 iMac which has Sequoia. I _was_ going to ease myself slowly into switching systems (having finally Migrated the Mojave to the Sequoia just last week).
As a result of the visit from the phisher, I'm conducting the switch as of today, Mail and Firefox being the main two apps that I'll be using on Sequoia.
Not yet Usenapp, though this may follow soon, if I can find the time.
Cheers
[Another] John
Hello again John.
I'd like to suggest that you download and run Malwarebytes.
No need to pay. Just use the free version. https://www.malwarebytes.com
The scan is VERY quick, but it should identify anything amiss.
No need to worry. Just don't send any money to anyone!
(Please forgive my email address change!)
This is still 'me'!
David <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello again John.
I'd like to suggest that you download and run Malwarebytes.
No need to pay. Just use the free version. https://www.malwarebytes.com
The scan is VERY quick, but it should identify anything amiss.
No need to worry. Just don't send any money to anyone!
(Please forgive my email address change!)
This is still 'me'!
DO NOT FOLLOW THIS ADVICE.
Never click links nor run software from someone you don't know supposedly trying to help.
He replied almost immediately ... asking me to purchase an Amazon voucher for a little girl who will die of a liver complaint unless she gets financial help. Note: he now used the term "Apple" in the second message, indicating he knew more about my system.
Thanks, all, for the reassurances so far: they confirm my ingrained instincts but I'm not technical enough to know for sure about these things. As I've said, I've moved my mail and my main browsing activities to Sequoia now, so I feel safer than before (I was becomg slightly nervous about continuing to use Mojave: "Unsupported by Apple".)
Any more advice will be very welcome.
Another John should use the password manager "Passwords" of macOS for
this purpose.
On 2025-05-03, Another John <[email protected]> wrote:
Thanks, all, for the reassurances so far: they confirm my ingrained instincts
but I'm not technical enough to know for sure about these things. As I've
said, I've moved my mail and my main browsing activities to Sequoia now, so I
feel safer than before (I was becomg slightly nervous about continuing to use
Mojave: "Unsupported by Apple".)
Any more advice will be very welcome.
If you haven't already I'd change your email password to something long and complicated as the hackers may well be aware of your email address now. Needless
to say your friend should now change his password too if he can as the hackers
may have changed it. If they have done so then he will need to contact his email
provider(s).
On 2025-05-04, Jörg Lorenz <[email protected]> wrote:
Another John should use the password manager "Passwords" of macOS for
this purpose.
Yes that's what I use now. I'm currently using it to check the safety of
all my passwords and changing them when advised to do so.
I then went down to our local Lloyds branch (yes! we have one! Until November :-( ) The person i spoke to there was very concerned.
On 3 May 2025 at 18:11:27 BST, "Another John" <[email protected]>
wrote:
I then went down to our local Lloyds branch (yes! we have one! Until November
:-( ) The person i spoke to there was very concerned.
Better than I ever got. The three or four times I've had turned-out-to-be-genuine communication from the banks that was patterned exactly the same way as fraud/phishing, I've had zero acknowledgement
that it was any sort problem at all from the bank.
Ranging from cold-call where they first ask *me* to prove who *I* am, to official emails from scam-lookalike domains, or with suspect links to
follow in them.
On 4 May 2025 at 13:29:52 BST, "Jaimie Vandenbergh" <[email protected]> wrote:
On 3 May 2025 at 18:11:27 BST, "Another John" <[email protected]>
wrote:
I then went down to our local Lloyds branch (yes! we have one! Until November
:-( ) The person i spoke to there was very concerned.
Better than I ever got. The three or four times I've had
turned-out-to-be-genuine communication from the banks that was patterned
exactly the same way as fraud/phishing, I've had zero acknowledgement
that it was any sort problem at all from the bank.
I fear that when the person I spoke to at the bank passed my remarks on up the
line, she will have received the same casual brush-off.
Ranging from cold-call where they first ask *me* to prove who *I* am, to
official emails from scam-lookalike domains, or with suspect links to
follow in them.
Yes! How come it is (only) that way round? *How* are they going to overcome this problem?
On 5 May 2025 at 7:20:33 pm BST, "Jaimie Vandenbergh"
<[email protected]> wrote:
On 5 May 2025 at 10:26:04 BST, "Another John" <[email protected]>
wrote:
On 4 May 2025 at 13:29:52 BST, "Jaimie Vandenbergh"
<[email protected]> wrote:
On 3 May 2025 at 18:11:27 BST, "Another John" <[email protected]>
wrote:
I then went down to our local Lloyds branch (yes! we have one! Until November
:-( ) The person i spoke to there was very concerned.
Better than I ever got. The three or four times I've had
turned-out-to-be-genuine communication from the banks that was patterned >>>> exactly the same way as fraud/phishing, I've had zero acknowledgement
that it was any sort problem at all from the bank.
I fear that when the person I spoke to at the bank passed my remarks on up the
line, she will have received the same casual brush-off.
Almost certainly.
Ranging from cold-call where they first ask *me* to prove who *I* am, to >>>> official emails from scam-lookalike domains, or with suspect links to
follow in them.
Yes! How come it is (only) that way round? *How* are they going to overcome >>> this problem?
I remember one got quite stroppy when I wouldn't authenticate myself to
their cold call, and they wouldn't even give me a mechanism to get back
to them via the main number. "I'll note you down as refusing to
validate" or some such. Fuck off.
When I did ring back the main number, I got them to take that note off
my account (which did double duty as proving it was a real call). No
info on it to get back to the person again though, or even their dept.
Weird.
Cheers - Jaimie
I never knew buy apparently the '159' shortcode telephone number is a central switchboard for all banks. You can call it and be put through to your own bank
(rather than having to remember their actual number). Been around a few years,
it seems. Promoted by Martin Lewis et al).
the day is coming when one will _have_ to trust
someone who claims to be Lloyds Bank
On 5. May 2025 at 11:26:04 CEST, "Another John" <[email protected]>You misspelled "different" as "better".
wrote:
the day is coming when one will _have_ to trust
someone who claims to be Lloyds Bank
Nope, you can ditch them and find a better bank.
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