to warn you all about a (very realistic) email virus doing the rounds?

[LadyFlumpalot]

Yes, yes, not really an AIBU but I felt it needed to be out there so....

I know most people would probably not fall for this, but it is the most realistic one I have ever recieved and I ALMOST opened the attachment, but decided to google it first.

It is an e-mail from "[email protected]" and it says:

"Dear xxx

Thank you for booking your flight through American Airlines, details below:

Flight number xxx-xxx
Check in time xx:xx
Departure airport xxxxxxxxx
Arrival time xx:xx
Destination xxxxxxxxx

We have today debited your account with $xxxx.xx

Please find attached your ticket confirmation, you may print this and redeem it at the flight counter.

I googled this and the search confirmed it was a hoax file containing a malware virus. I suspected this as I certainly can't manage to wrestle £300 odd quid from my bank account so wasn't sure how anyone else had done it either!

Disclaimer - If you do get an email of this nature then please do still check your bank in case someone has been booking things with your details.

tbh this would go straight into my Junk inbox.

I got that email a week or two ago - I deleted it without even opening it. I did check my bank account though!

How does that sound realistic?

I got one of these before christmas. Checked my bank account and deleted it

oh yes. I get these. I never open them. Like TVK says, you check your bank account and if money has gone out, then you deal with it through them.

It never has though

Well, my first thought (being a bit daft and trusting) was "Oh! American Airlines have sent someones ticket to me by mistake!"

Then it was "Oh fuck, what if someone has hold of my bank details and has bought a ticket?!?"

So I hovered over the attachment.....then thought, nope, google it first.

It is a tadge more realistic than the usual one I get which is:

"READ, READ, READ!

Open attached page for details of the late Sir Fortescues will and your inheritance!!!!!!!"

yabu

Actually, I agree it's pretty realistic - I got this to my work e-mail, and my first thought was "could this be a colleague's and they've got the e-mail addresses muddled?" Had I then gone on to click on the attachment to see if I could trace the real recipient (and been on a windows machine, rather than a linux machine), I'd presumably then have infected several hundred networked computers with the malware! And I'm pretty geeky, and fairly cynical about e-mail. So I actually don't think you're being unreasonable, Flumpalot - it's a lot better crafted than most.

I am a numpty when it comes to these things. Not computer savvy at all...I would open that without a second thought.
I am always opening viruses...

Seriously? I mean, it's nice I guess that you're that worried about everyone else but what kind of ditz would even give such an e mail the time of day?

I think it's good of you to share this OP.
If people are so smart (always send to junk/ ignore etc) well, that's great but others will benefit from your thread.

If you haven't booked an airline ticket WHY would you open it? Do you open the ones from the Reverend Cornelius Dingaan Batshitter of Nigeria too? They can look pretty realistic - in a dark room with your mum's reading glasses on.

Hmm, well I am extremely suspicious about emails and viruses and so on, but as I frequently book flights with AA, I might possibly have toyed with opening this.

So thanks for the heads up.

I may be tired, i may be a not to bright on the topic.. but i don't understand- how are these viruses sent? Does someone literally sit there, typing this email out, attach a virus then click send?? And if yes, WHY???

Strangely enough, it is actually possible for people to access your bank account and book a plane ticket.

To activate the malware or virus or whatever you'd have to click on a link within the e mail. Even my 80 year old Mum knows not to do this.

I am sure I delete genuine emails all the time as I'm such a suspicious one. Probably actual letters from real banks. Oh no!

Ta, will delete if I see it.

madam to hack your on-line accounts.

What kind of ditz would open it? I don't know, someone's naive, trusting, vulnerable or curious friend / mum / dad / brother / grandmother / teenager?

If nobody ever did, the spammers wouldn't be spamming. Why would you give someone a hard time for being nice enough to take the time to warn others of a scam?

siamo you sound very savvy. Well done.

I've had very similar and haven't even got half way through before deleting them. This is what's worrying me about my DM getting internet access for the first time soon - I'm going to be getting panicked phonecalls like this twenty times a day.