Office 2007 Beta Scam



  • We were recently asked to evaluate Office 2007 Beta we were quiet surprised to discover that even as MSDN Universal subscribers and Select partners we still had to pay additional fees to get access to the Office beta program.

    Only after the transaction completed and I received the confirmation mail did thunderbird issue me this warning.

    [URL=http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=officebetascamgc5.jpg][IMG]http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4486/officebetascamgc5.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

    Rough translation of the message for the unimaginative.

    "Thank you for taking part in the Office 2007 Beta Program. You have paid to access the following beta products.... The amount xxx will be charged to your credit card."

    Intersting that Microsoft Internet Explorer didn't detect the scam....



  • It seems the latest thunderbird will flag almost anything with a link in it as a scam.



  • @merreborn said:

    It seems the latest thunderbird will flag almost anything with a link in it as a scam.
    No, only if a URL is included as text with a backing <a href=""> that goes somewhere significantly different than the text URL.

    Most email clients will automatically change text URLs into links in plaintext.  A class of email phishing scams prey on this by doing something like this:

    http://www.trustedsite.com/



  • @orgchart said:

    ...Intersting that Microsoft Internet Explorer didn't detect the scam...
    <font size="5">M</font>icrosoft Internet Explorer couldn't detect a scam if it was dancing naked on your desk.



  • Hmmm... TrustedSite.com seems to be down. Now how am I supposed to verify my password to keep my account active?



  • @triso said:

    <font size="5">M</font>icrosoft Internet Explorer couldn't detect a scam if it was dancing naked on your desk.

    Maybe it would notice, but naked scams are too interesting for an explorer to take any action. It seems that exotic animals are immune to that.



  • internet explorer is a web browser and should not be expected to detect spam in your Emails which are received through a different program.



  • @tster said:

    internet explorer is a web browser and should not
    be expected to detect spam in your Emails which are received through a
    different program.
    Pfffffft. Since when have facts, logic, and rationality been part of a good anti-microsoft arguement?



  • But IE7, (6 too?) has a phishing filter.



  • @dhromed said:

    But IE7, (6 too?) has a phishing filter.

    Yes, but IE7 can't do $%# to your email that you check with Outlook Express, now can it?

    BTW what's with all of those www.free-download-now.com type of sites that come up as sponsored links whenever you google for a common freeware application (case in point: http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=vlc). What's thier scam?



  • I prefer Outlook myself.



  • @Albatross said:

    BTW what's with all of those www.free-download-now.com type of sites that come up as sponsored links whenever you google for a common freeware application (case in point: http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=vlc). What's thier scam?


    Indeed. I guess the Google hegemony must be funded somehow.

    But it's Google, so it must be Good (tm). Relax, you know they have our best interests at heart.



  • @Albatross said:

    @dhromed said:

    But IE7, (6 too?) has a phishing filter.

    Yes, but IE7 can't do $%# to your email that you check with Outlook Express, now can it?

    BTW what's with all of those www.free-download-now.com type of sites that come up as sponsored links whenever you google for a common freeware application (case in point: http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=vlc). What's thier scam?



    Yes, of course, but after you click the link, then IE7 might be able to Protect Your Safe Security.


  • Oh, Google's sponsored links are a rich source of WTFs. eBay ones in particular - apparantly they'll sell me plutonium, time machines...you name it

    even free beer:

    <font size="-1">
    <font size="-0">Free Beer</font>
    Find Free Beer!
    Buy Free Beer on eBay
    <font class="a">www.ebay.co.uk</font>


    now why would I want to BUY free beer
    </font>



  • @merreborn said:

    It seems the latest thunderbird will flag almost anything with a link in it as a scam.

    I know that, for a while at least, it flagged all Livejournal notification emails as scams...



  • @m0ffx said:

    Oh, Google's sponsored links are a rich source of
    WTFs. eBay ones in particular - apparantly they'll sell me plutonium,
    time machines...you name it

    even free beer:

    <font size="-1">
    <font size="+0">Free Beer</font>
    Find Free Beer!
    Buy Free Beer on eBay
    <font class="a">www.ebay.co.uk</font>


    now why would I want to BUY free beer
    </font>
    It's Linux Beer.



    You might still have to pay for it (or at least for the bottle), but
    it's free as in you get the "source code" to the beer (i.e. an
    ingredients list on the back).



    Actually, I can't be bothered to find links, but some gimps have really set up an open source beer...



  • @RayS said:



    Actually, I can't be bothered to find links, but some gimps have really set up an open source beer...


    http://www.voresoel.dk/main.php?id=70



  • The email also lists a bunch of Microsoft products. So it looks kinda like spam I often get offering "cheap" software, if you know what I mean. The bayesian filter has most likely learned that "Microsoft Office" and various other product names are very "spammy".


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