# The worst phishing letter yet **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 13, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-phishing-letter-yet/269114 "2004-10-13T23:37:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![simple\_homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@simple\_homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simple_homer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-phishing-letter-yet/269114/1 "2004-10-13T23:37:55Z")
This has got to be the worst phishing letter I have seen. Do they really expect anyone to fall for this ? Or, did something happen to this e-mail between the sender and where I received it at yahoo ? "D޸ear‭ ޷C޹i‭t޹i޻b‪an޴k޵ ޺M޾e޿௦m޷b޹e޺r, ޽T‪h‎i޷‭s޼ ‭e޹m޹a‬il‪ ޵w޾a޶‎s‪ ‎‏s޿௦e‏n‏t‎ ޳by޳ ޻t޹h‎e޲ ޻C޽i޼ti‭b޵a‪n޵k‬ ޸‪s޵e޾rv‏e‬r‬ ޽to‪ ޳v޾e޾r‎i޸f‏y‏ ޺y‭o޸ur޵ ‎e޸-޻m޼a޽i‏l޹ ‏a޺d޵dr‎e‏‪s޴‏s‪.޷ ‏Y޺o‏u ‬mu޻‎st‎ ޳c޸o‎m‏pl޽e‏t޸e޲ ‎t޹hi޺‏s޻ p޸r‬oc޶e޽‏s‪s޵ ޽b޸y‎ ‬c޹l޼ic޻k޹i޾n‭g ޷o޾n޹ ‏t޴h޼e‭ ޺l޳i޵n޲k ‬b޻e޽l޿௦o޿௦w޳ ޼a‏nd޿௦ ޷e޶n‏t޿௦e޽r޼i޴n‏g޿௦ ‭i޸n޺ ‬t‬h޽e޾ ޷‭s‏m޼a޶l޿௦l‪ w޾i‏n޴d޵ow޼ ‏y޸o޽u޶r‏ ‏C޽i‏t‪i‏b޻a޿௦n޺k޵ A‬T޴M޻/޺D‎e޺b‎i޵t޾ ‎Ca޽r‪d ‭n޲u޸m‏b޺e‬r ޽a޳n޷d‎ ޹P޸I޽N‏ ޼th‎a޷t޸ y޸o޴u޷ ޽u‏‬s‪e o޴n‎ ޸A‎T‭M޹. ޺T޹h޿௦i޽‬s޶ ޾i޾‏s ‏d‎o޼n޷e޾ ‬f޷o޶r޶ ޻y‏o‭u޶r޼ p޷r޵o޽t޸e޶c‏t޴i޸o޸n޵ -޾ ‭b޿௦e‏c޼a޼u‪‬s޹e޼ ޳‏s޻om޹e޼ ޸of޲ ‪o޿௦u޳r޷ ޹me޳m‪b޴e޸r޲‭s‏ ‎n޳o ‭l‏o‭n޶g޸er޾ ޶ha޻v‭e ޺ac޾c޼e޷‏s޺‎s޴ ‏to޹ ޴t޵h޽e޲i‏r ޲e‪ma‏i‪l޲ ޲a‭dd‭r‏e‪s޻‪s޸e޳‪s޽ ‪a޺n޹d ޺w޳e‪ ‎m޹u޾‪s޾t޺ ‭ve޴r޶i޾f޾y‏ ޽it‎. ޿௦T‏o޿௦ ޺v޽e޻rif޳y‭ ‏y޼o޻u‎r‎ ޵e޵-޿௦m‏a‬i޶l‏ a‎d޶d޾r޲e޶‪s޷‭s޿௦ ޲a޵n޿௦d޹ ‬a‏c޺ce‏‏s‪s޽ y޳o‪u‪r‎ ޸b޲a޵n޹k޾ ޽a޳c‭c‏o޸u޳n‪t,޽ ‏c޴lick޵ ‭o޺n޸ ‭t޲h޼e ‏l޻i‏n‭k‭ ޿௦b޷e޵l‪o޻w: w޸w޹w޷.޷c‬i‬ti‪b޵a‎n޳k޵.‎c޸o޻m/?MZeg0pwT3qRJJv7CIOfY9v3h9cy4l3pq4k2w6GuWaE8im2YBZL5FV3Xhwi0fs9 " ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-phishing-letter-yet/269114/2 "2004-10-13T23:45:23Z")
Hey, my bank sends me e-mails like that all the time! It sounds totally legit to me. I also get those e-mails from PayPal, and I always send them my bank account number. “Phishing” means they’re improving customer service, right? Right? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-phishing-letter-yet/269114/3 "2004-10-14T00:19:10Z")
> [@look!ninjas](#): > > I also get those e-mails from PayPal, and I always send them my bank account number. I believe the _correct_ protocol is to send send your bank details along with your SSN to some chap in Nigeria. I’m open to corrections of course. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-phishing-letter-yet/269114/4 "2004-10-14T00:21:27Z")
Hey! I got one of those. You mean it wasn’t legit? ---
**Author:** ![Keapon\_Laffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-phishing-letter-yet/269114/5 "2004-10-14T00:30:04Z")
Did you know that most major financial firms have set up an agreement with SDMB? You don’t even need to respond to those emails they send to you. All you need to do is post your financial details here (bank account no., PIN, passwords, etc), and they’ve got a software to pick it up. Try it. Its true. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-phishing-letter-yet/269114/6 "2004-10-14T01:10:33Z")
> [@look!ninjas](#): > > Hey, my bank sends me e-mails like that all the time! It sounds totally legit to me. I also get those e-mails from PayPal, and I always send them my bank account number. “Phishing” means they’re improving customer service, right? Right? Yes. “Phishing” means they are sending you Phish, which, wouldn’t be that bad at all. Tell 'em to thrown in some Grateful Dead, and I’d join their bank. Tripler Now if they can get the living members of Led Zeppelin back together, I’d mortgage my house through them. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-phishing-letter-yet/269114/7 "2004-10-14T02:39:59Z")
Odd squares mixed among the letters aside, I do trust that everyone here knows better than to click on any link in a message claiming to come from your bank. Right? Even if you’re 99.99% sure it really is from your bank, don’t click on it. Open a new browser window and type in [www.yourbank.com](http://www.yourbank.com) At work, I support an identity theft assistance department, and they’re quite busy enough. ☹ ---
**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:** [October 14, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-phishing-letter-yet/269114/8 "2004-10-14T02:54:57Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Open a new browser window and type in [www.yourbank.com](http://www.yourbank.com) Why would I go to Pendleton County Bank, when my account is with Wachovia? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Means\_Go](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cc9497/32.png) [@Green\_Means\_Go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Means_Go)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-phishing-letter-yet/269114/9 "2004-10-14T03:52:06Z")
My mom fell for one of these a few months ago. She called me AFTER she’d filled out the form and sent it in and said: “Do you think I should have done this?” :smack: 🙂