Dodgy Visa security message

09-13-2004

I received an email inviting me to verify my Visa card. The address given
was
http://www.usa.visa.com/personal/sec...h1_/index.html
but interestingly the entire email was a JPEG image without any text at all.

I felt a bit suspicious that I was invited to contact a USA site when I do
not live in the USA.

I assume the email was part of a scam but I don't want to try it to find
out. Anyone had something similar?

John
(sorry if this is the wrong NG for this kind of question)

09-13-2004

On Mon, 13 Sep 2004 09:14:34 GMT, "John Rampling"
<> wrote:

>I received an email inviting me to verify my Visa card. The address given
>was
>
>but interestingly the entire email was a JPEG image without any text at all.
>
>I felt a bit suspicious that I was invited to contact a USA site when I do
>not live in the USA.
>
>I assume the email was part of a scam but I don't want to try it to find
>out. Anyone had something similar?
>
>John
>(sorry if this is the wrong NG for this kind of question)
>

go to Google and search the term phishing

Drifter
"I've been here, I've been there..."

09-13-2004

John Rampling wrote:
> I received an email inviting me to verify my Visa card. The address given
> was
> http://www.usa.visa.com/personal/sec...h1_/index.html
> but interestingly the entire email was a JPEG image without any text at all.
>
> I felt a bit suspicious that I was invited to contact a USA site when I do
> not live in the USA.
>
> I assume the email was part of a scam but I don't want to try it to find
> out. Anyone had something similar?
>
> John
> (sorry if this is the wrong NG for this kind of question)
>
>

Yes I got one.

<HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type
content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META
content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1458" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><A
href=3D"http://cemagik.net/personal/secure_with_visa/userid=3D4Rf3f3j76h5h=
GR34/index.html"><IMG alt=3D"" hspace=3D0
src=3D"http://cemagik.net/personal/secure_with_visa/userid=3D4Rf3f3j76h5hG=
R34/email.JPG" align=3Dbaseline
border=3D0></A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

When it loads clicking anywhere on the image (which is unconvincing text
warning that your visa card will become unusable online in 48 hrs unless
you "authenticate" by clicking on their link) Clicking directs not to
the visa site shown but to
http://cemagik.net/personal/secure_w...R34/index.html
where they ask for card details.

I doubt if going to their site does any harm - as long as you enter
false details to waste their time.

09-13-2004

John Rampling wrote:

> I received an email inviting me to verify my Visa card. The address given
> was
> http://www.usa.visa.com/personal/sec...h1_/index.html
> but interestingly the entire email was a JPEG image without any text at all.
>
> I felt a bit suspicious that I was invited to contact a USA site when I do
> not live in the USA.
>
> I assume the email was part of a scam but I don't want to try it to find
> out. Anyone had something similar?
>
> John
> (sorry if this is the wrong NG for this kind of question)

VISA would never do that. It is up to the card company if there is a
problem. By card company I mean your bank, Capital One, MBMA etc.

VISA and MasterCard simply run the networks they use.

It's like the Internet in a way. Your ISP (AOL, BT, Wanadoo, Tiscali
etc) is your "card provider". They provide the service, the gateway to
the websites etc. VISA or MasterCard would be like Cisco who own/operate
a large amount of the underlying "backbone" between all the ISPs in the
EU and USA.

If there was a problem such as your password going wrong, you contact
your ISP,not Cisco. Same with credit cards. VISA, MasterCard, AMEX etc
should not be contacted by the customer. I work for a credit card
company and as far as I know, there is no "public relations" or
"customer serivce" telephoen number for VISA, only an address for
customers to write to if there is a serious serious problem. I've never
had to give the address out and I don't know anyone who has.

HTH.

09-13-2004

I got the same thing trying to verify my CitiBank account info. I don't
have and never did have a City account. I forwarded the mail to the
CityBank fraud reporting address.
"John Rampling" <> wrote in message
news:_xd1d.131$...
> I received an email inviting me to verify my Visa card. The address given
> was
>
http://www.usa.visa.com/personal/sec...h1_/index.html
> but interestingly the entire email was a JPEG image without any text at
all.
>
> I felt a bit suspicious that I was invited to contact a USA site when I do
> not live in the USA.
>
> I assume the email was part of a scam but I don't want to try it to find
> out. Anyone had something similar?
>
> John
> (sorry if this is the wrong NG for this kind of question)
>
>

09-14-2004

Weyoun the Dancing Borg wrote:
> and as far as I know, there is no "public relations" or
> "customer serivce" telephoen number for VISA,

It sounds like you don't work for Barclaycard Visa - who do provide a CS
phone number.

09-15-2004

Sirius wrote:
>
> Weyoun the Dancing Borg wrote:
> > and as far as I know, there is no "public relations" or
> > "customer serivce" telephoen number for VISA,
>
> It sounds like you don't work for Barclaycard Visa - who do provide a CS
> phone number.

You did not read what he said; that phone number that you refer to is
*Barclay*, NOT Visa.

09-15-2004

Robert Baer wrote:
> Sirius wrote:
>
>>Weyoun the Dancing Borg wrote:
>>
>>>and as far as I know, there is no "public relations" or
>>>"customer serivce" telephoen number for VISA,
>>
>>It sounds like you don't work for Barclaycard Visa - who do provide a CS
>>phone number.
>
>
> You did not read what he said; that phone number that you refer to is
> *Barclay*, NOT Visa.

Well I posted first, then re-ead what he said, then cancelled my message
- but not soon enough it seems

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