Ancient Chain Letter Migrates From Mail to Social Networking

eBay Giftcard Spam Mails in Circulation

From the spam traps, a mail landing unannounced in a mailbox near you:

ebay gift card spam

It reads:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * Your $25 EBay Gift-Card * * * * * * * * * * * * * —————————————————————————– * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Go Below to Claim your EBay Card now * * my(dot)ebygftcrd4u(dot)us * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*Hurry as they go fast.

The link is intended for residents of the US, but has been spammed out to random individuals who could be anywhere in the World – not exactly targeted marketing!

First the destination site asks for a valid email address, then they follow up with name / address / phone / zipcode style requests.

email
personal info questions

Always be cautious when asked to hand over personal information such as the above via random spam messages – you can never quite be sure who sent it or what they intend to do with the data. Unsolicited giftcard messages can come in many forms and the next one you click on might not “just” be a collection of survey questions…

Christopher Boyd

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christopher Boyd

Former Director of Research at FaceTime Security Labs. He has a very particular set of skills. Skills that make him a nightmare for threats like you.