IMPORTANT - Please read if you have a Paypal Account!!

[Tiggers Lady]

I just received this email from a reliable source....I have not confirmed it myself - but wanted anyone and everyone to be aware in case....

**************************

Hi Everyone...

I usually do not send this type of mass e-mailing, but I feel that this is very important. If you have a Paypal account, please read.

One of our friends just informed me that there is a BOGUS PAYPAL EMAIL circulating to individuals who have a Paypal Account. And I received this same e-mail last evening.

I hope that you all read this in time to save yourself from a possible catastrophe! Last night, a friend of ours received an email from [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] with a link in it that said that they would give $5.00 for updating information by the first of the year. By clicking on the link and entering credit card info, you will note that there is no lock on the bottom of the screen indicating that this was a secure site.

So a very astuts and alert friend decided to check things out. Come to find out...this is a total SCAM!

Here's a copy of the email:
=========================================
Season's Greetings Valued PayPal Customer;
As the New Year approaches and as we all get ready to move a year ahead, PayPal would like to give you a $5 credit to your account! All you have to do to claim your $5 gift from us is update your information on our secure Pay Pal site by January 1st, 2002. A year brings a lot of changes, by updating your information with us you will allow for us to continue providing you and our valued customer service with excellent service and in the meantime, keep our records straight!

To update your information now and to receive $5 in your PayPal account instantly, click this link: <link has been removed>

Thank you for using PayPal.com and helping us grow to be the largest of our kind!

Sincerely wishing you a very "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,"
PayPal Team
======================================
The domain name for this e-mail is paypal-secure.com and here is the info on Allwhois.com about this domain name.
======================================
paypal-secure.com
Request: paypal-secure.com
Registrant:
PayPal Secure
1 First Ave
Paypal, SE 123 456
CK
Domain Name: PAYPAL-SECURE.COM
Sponsoring Reseller; for Technical Support
with respect to this domain contact:
EasyHosting.com, [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
1-877-414-5665
Administrative Contact:
Secure, PayPal [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
1 First Ave
Paypal, SE 123 456
CK
456-789-1234
Technical Contact:
Secure, PayPal [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
1 First Ave
Paypal, SE 123 456
CK
456-789-1234
Billing Contact:
Secure, PayPal [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
1 First Ave
Paypal, SE 123 456
CK
456-789-1234
Record last updated on 17-Dec-2001.
Record expires on 07-Dec-2002.
Record Created on 07-Dec-2001.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.FROGSPACE.NET 216.65.12.140
NS2.FROGSPACE.NET 216.65.12.150
=========================================
Check out the bogus address and phone number!!! PLEASE do not give out your credit card info until you make SURE of what you are doing!

*** I just got off of the phone with Paypal and they confirmed that this is a bogus e-mail and they did not send this e-mail to its registered users. Their fraud department is presently working on this situation.

Thanks

[dianemarie]

Thank you for the heads-up on this one, Tiggers Lady! I'm so paranoid about things like this that even when I get an email letting me know someone has made a payment I don't click on the link in the email. I open a new window and then log into my paypal account.

[mccbridge]

Thanks for the heads up I got the same e-mail last night just scanned through and thought " well I really do not have anything to update" so I just deleted it. Thank goodness

[buckeyemomma]

Thank you for letting us know. PEOPLE ARE SO TERRIBLE TO DO THINGS LIKE THIS!!

Mccbridge, that is a very good idea!

[Brittwoman]

Thanks for the warning!

[Neptune]

I saw that e-mail and deleted it. I thought it was just a update. Thanks for the warning!

[PHReD]

MAN!

Sushi, they're on to us!!!
THANKS A LOT TIGGS!

[sweetiris]

Thanks for the warning!!!!!!

[andee1]

I read on the bottom of an email from Paypal that said something to the effect that if you receive an email from us the link will have "https" not just "http" in front of their address, any other email is a fake... that shows that you are going to a secure site. Wish I had saved it but I just cleaned out my deleted file...

[LISA1013]

thanks for the warning tiggs

I havent received that email ~ and hopefully i wont !!!

[mrbowler]

ah, ok... so, I guess I'll just act like the sysadmin I'm paid to pretend to be ....

*cough* poking around *cough* their site, I can tell you a few things:

Open ports on the server... 21, 22, 23 (amateurs), 25, 80, 110, 2000, 3306, 8007, 8009, 8080

It's also running an early 2.4.x linux kernel.

Seeing some odd ports open, one might be tempted to see what they are...

(/home/jeff) # telnet paypal-secure.com 25
Trying 64.6.247.233...
Connected to paypal-secure.com.
Escape character is '^]'.
220 george.frogspace.net ESMTP Exim 3.02 #1 Tue, 18 Dec 2001 01:14:52 -0800
^]


Oh lookie here... Oops, their smtp server uses their real hostname... Frogspace.net .

So, going from there ...

Registrant:
Digital Space, Corp. (FROGSPACE2-DOM)
1593 E. Chestnut Ave.
Lompoc, CA 93436
US

Domain Name: FROGSPACE.NET

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Billing Contact:
Dirgo, Landon (LD2085) [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
Digital Space, Corp.
1593 E. Chestnut Ave.
Lompoc, CA 93436
805 740 1999 (FAX) 508 448 1259

and a whois on digitalspace.net shows:

Registrant:
Digital Space, Corp.
1593 E. Chestnut Ave
Lompoc, CA 93436
US

Domain Name: DIGITALSPACE.NET

Sponsoring Reseller; for Technical Support
with respect to this domain contact:
Digital Space Corp, [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
805 740 1999

Administrative Contact:
Dirgo, Landon [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
1593 E. Chestnut Ave
Lompoc, CA 93436
US
805-740-1999

Technical Contact:
Dirgo, Landon [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
1593 E. Chestnut Ave
Lompoc, CA 93436
US
805-740-1999

Billing Contact:
Dirgo, Landon [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]
1593 E. Chestnut Ave
Lompoc, CA 93436
US
805-740-1999

So, It's pretty safe to assume that Mr. Landon Dirgo is either the person running the little scam, or an innocent hosting agency. Lompoc is 150 miles outside of LA, in Santa Barbara county .... So anyone wishing to turn these fine fellows in might want to pick an address from here or just submit a tip here, or, just call (805) 737-7737 , and let the sherriff sort out the guilty from those who host them (if it really is an innocent host, and from digitalspace.net's website, it appears that way, then they'll have contact information for paypal-secure.com).

[buckeyemomma]

Yhanks Mrbowler