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How do these scammers know when to email?

9 replies

PureBlackVoid · 19/09/2023 18:57

Recently I’ve noticed that, whenever I complete a legitimate purchase/payment, not long after I get a scam email or text mimicking that purchase.

Most recently, road tax. Bought a new car last month (haven’t paid road tax in years before that) and a few days after paying and receiving the legit email, I was got a ‘your road tax hasn’t been paid’ email from a scammy address.

If I purchase from Amazon occasionally, I get fake ‘your payment is on hold’ emails. If I purchase from shops online, at some point I’ll get an email or text pretending to be from the courier (different couriers), that I need to pay the fee. I’m sure I could find more examples if I could be bothered to trawl through my emails.

The odd one could be coincidence, but it just seems to happen so consistently that they can’t all be coincidence. I also use two email addresses, so one that paypal and amazon is linked to, the other I use for things I don’t want to miss (bills related stuff etc). The scam emails tend to get sent to the email I have actually used for that purchase.

I’ve also just remembered when I took out a credit card with one bank, I started getting sales calls from another credit card company, or at-least someone pretending to be.. would banks sell that kind of data? My email provider?

I’m curious more than anything and just find it very strange! Has anyone else noticed this?

OP posts:
PimpMyFridge · 19/09/2023 22:15

I don't get that happening.
I wonder if you've got some malicious cookies on your computer.
Maybe worth a factory reset?

Kat19899 · 19/09/2023 23:48

I don’t get this either. I sometimes notice an increase in spam after giving my email address to a small business but the emails are never relevant. It sounds quite suspicious and if I were you I’d delete my cookies and get VPN

PureBlackVoid · 20/09/2023 08:49

I don’t use my computer really, I do pretty much everything from my phone.

Doesn’t sound great then! I’ve just deleted cookies and website data etc. iPhone has an option to automatically block all cookies, which I tried to use but then I could barely use any web pages..

The only time I even switch my pc on is if I need to use Word or something - my emails are logged in on there though. Could any malicious data transfer to my phone that way?

OP posts:

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loudbatperson · 20/09/2023 08:55

I would change your email password if I were you, and reset all devices you use.

Be stringent on downloads and accepting tracking in the future.

I haven't ever had any scam emails or messages relating to recent purchases.

Doggymummar · 20/09/2023 08:57

Never happened to me either, seems bizarre

PureBlackVoid · 20/09/2023 09:09

Oh.. I really thought it would be a little more common or I’d be told it was coincidence to be honest!

With any apps, I always select ‘don’t allow tracking’ but with websites sometimes the cookie consent is relentless

OP posts:
BranchGold · 20/09/2023 09:12

Just a point on the vehicle tax, is it because you were without a vehicle for a period of time?

PureBlackVoid · 20/09/2023 09:18

Yes that’s right

OP posts:
eurochick · 20/09/2023 09:22

I don't get it either. I receive plenty of scammy emails but there is no pattern to them. They are just playing a numbers game that someone will eg bank with Barclays and be panicked by the email.

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