# Earthlink customers: Another e-mail scam on the loose. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 10, 2003, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063 "2003-02-10T08:50:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/1 "2003-02-10T08:50:31Z")
I know that I need to update my EarthLink information anyway, and today I got an email from EarthLink (or so it appeared) that told me to update my account at [earthlink-billings.com](http://earthlink-billings.com). I immediately got suspicious, shot off an email to Earthlink support, and then did a “WHOIS” on the domain [earthlink-billings.com](http://earthlink-billings.com). Couldn’t get much information, other than their nameservers are in Germany (a .de extension is Germany, right?). I really doubt that this is an EarthLink domain… This is just another scam directed at EarthLink users to try to get credit card information. It’s happened before to me. I’m sure AOL and other big ISPs get their own versions of this scam as well. I am sick of these bloodsuckers, I tell ya. So, a heads-up to everyone! ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/2 "2003-02-10T13:19:14Z")
Holy cow! I went to that site, and they sure did a bit of work to make it look legit. The top nav bar even goes to Earthlink’s sites. That’s scary, especially when you consider the amount of information they’re trying to grab: SSN, driver’s license, bank account #, credit card #. I reported them to the FTC, though if they’re a German company, I’m not sure what can be done. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/3 "2003-02-10T13:28:04Z")
I got an e-mail like that, saying that my credit card information had expired, and would I please click on this link to update it? A few things made me suspicious. First off, CompuServe capitalizes the C and the S; this e-mail didn’t. Second, CS doesn’t use links in any of its billing e-mail; they instruct you to go to their billing area or call. And third (and most damning), they wouldn’t link to a gaming site. A quick call to the Fraud department quickly took care of this wanker, although who knows how many people fell for the scam. Robin ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/4 "2003-02-10T13:36:13Z")
I’m gonna make this a sticky thread for, oh probably the remainder of this week. Thank you for bringing this to the attention of the membership. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/5 "2003-02-10T13:59:54Z")
[You can report Internet fraud cases here.](http://www.fraud-report.org/org/report/) [This site](http://www.ccmostwanted.com/reporting3.htm) suggests reporting German fraud cases to the respective police institutes for that Bundesland. The trace for this website ends at a Network with this info: > [@](#): > > inetnum: 62.146.17.0 - 62.146.17.255 > netname: LEODOM-NET > descr: Torsten Blaettermann > descr: Leodom GdbR > descr: Georg-Kolb- Strasse 18 > descr: 91448 Emskirchen > descr: Germany > country: DE > admin-c: TB2081-RIPE > tech-c: GT-RIPE > status: ASSIGNED PA > notify: [grosse@ip-exchange.de](mailto:grosse@ip-exchange.de) > mnt-by: IPPARTNER-MNT > changed: [grosse@ip-exchange.de](mailto:grosse@ip-exchange.de) 20010104 > source: RIPE Emskirchen is in Bayern, so your best bet is to see what the [Polizei Bayern website](http://www.polizei.bayern.de/) has to offer. It’s only in German, from the looks of it, but they do have an e-mail address. With this caveat: > [@](#): > > Bavarian State Bureau of Investigation > When sending an e-mail, please regard the following information: > We control our “e-mail box” three times every day. That’s why e-mail is not intended for emergency calls, urgent information and advertisements. In the above-mentioned cases please contact the nearest police office. In emergency cases you may contact the police in Germany at any time at the number 110. … in mind, I’d say e-mail [blka@polizei.bayern.de](mailto:blka@polizei.bayern.de) and see what happens. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/6 "2003-02-10T20:32:01Z")
Well, they’re offline now. Someone works fast. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/7 "2003-02-11T04:35:35Z")
Some of my hobby friends are reporting a large amount of scam eBay and PayPal emails too - eBay and PayPal won’t ask you for your info in an email or ask you to go to a website and update it. So keep an eye out for those if you use eBay and/or PayPal. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/8 "2003-02-11T07:30:49Z")
Say what you will about AOL, but they _do_ have a way to keep people from opening phony offical mail: all mail icons for e-mail are white envelopes except those sent offically, which have blue icons. It really cuts down the odds of opening a fake aol company message. ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/9 "2003-02-12T04:46:46Z")
Hmmm, I have one that says Earthlink EMail By Phone. Since this is the first spam I’ve gotten in ages, I wonder if they’ve got a new angle going already. Be careful, folks. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/10 "2003-02-12T20:38:30Z")
I’m not home now to check what the e-mail was, but this thread got me worried. My credit card actually did just expire last month, and I got an e-mail saying I needed to update it, but it indicated all I had to do was reply saying that the card number hadn’t changed. I did this, and never entered any information, and got a reply that is was okay – does anyone know if that’s normal or possibly part of this? ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/11 "2003-02-17T13:22:31Z")
**panamajack** , I just got one saying mine was about to expire (which it is). It looks like it’s going straight to Paypal, so I doubt you have anything to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthlink-customers-another-e-mail-scam-on-the-loose/154063/12 "2003-02-17T16:59:24Z")
I think this thread has lived long enough at the top of the forum; I’m going to “unstick” this and let it slide down the page. If, in the future anyone has public service announcements to make like this, please let the moderators know and we’ll consider making them “sticky,” too.