I use Gmail and it is usually pretty good at detecting spam and scams but this one got through to my inbox. It was supposed from no_reply @ libertyreserve(.)com but I know it wasn't really from Liberty Reserve. The subject said something about suspicious activity detected. So just being curious I read the email. At the top they posted the whole "we won't ask for your password in an email" and a few other statements. Then it went on to say that there was suspicious activity on my account and that I needed to verify my account ownership or it would be closed in 3 days. In the email it said something about needing me to transfer 1 penny from my bank account and that it would be transferred back after verification. There was a link for me to visit to login and when I hovered over the link it displayed literyreserve(.) not libertyreserve (.)com. I didn't bother to click on it and I am not worried because I do not have a Liberty Reserve account so how could it risk being suspended? Scam trying to get info from me or anybody who has an account. Just wanted to give everybody a heads up.
It's definitely a scam, do not ever trust such websites. They're designed to phish for your personal information. If you do not have a Liberty Reserve account and have no reason to receive email from them, just ignore the email. There was a case several years ago of hackers who would send fake messages claiming to be from legit banks like BNP Paribas (one of the main European banks) to customers. The mails mentioned due to a system glitch, all online transactions have been put on hold unless the customers log in to their online banking accounts to reset their passwords. When they clicked on the links, they were transported to a dummy landing page made to resemble the banks' main web page. When the unsuspecting customers entered their passwords,the hackers got full access to their online banking accounts! Do not trust suspicious emails!
I've been getting emails like these for years. Like you said, luckily Liberty Reserve has set up a lot of precautions in place already. I always make it a point to just login from the website itself rather than clicking anything sent by mail anyway. I think that is the best way to keep safe when it comes to online banking.
You did the right thing in really looking at the link before clicking on it. I believe that clicking on it wouldn't have compromised anything, but I believe it would likely have been tracked that you responded to the email and then the scam attempts would have increased from them. It's also go to contact the company being spoofed so they can alert their real customers and take measures to stop the scammers.
No legitimate financial company is going to ask you to change your password, or any thing else from an email. This happens, or it used to happen with PayPal scammers, trying to get people to change their PPal passwords. The site these fake companies try to refer people to are phishing sites. It looks like people are starting to catch on, either that or the email platforms are getting more secure. The sad part about these fictitious emails is that it really hurts the legitimate online entrepreneur because more and more people are not opening emails unless it's from a close friend or relative.
Absolutely, with Liberty Reserve, you could log in safely from their website. Do not trust links sent via emails. It was very good that you checked the link sent in the email.
I don't have a Liberty Reserve account so I knew it was a scam from the beginning. I just wanted to let others know! I look at all emails like this because I either send them to the FTC or I email the company they are claiming to be to let them know what happened. The more details the better so I always look for the inconsistencies I have had scams being masked from Yale and I emailed Yale to let them know. They looked into it and sent me an email thanking me for letting them know and telling me they were glad that there was no harm since I didn't fall for it.
Yeah I don't fall for any of these things. I have gotten emails claiming to be the FBI with real FBI contact info but I know it wasn't them (the real contact info was to make it look good and the scammer was hoping that I would click the link in the email - instead I reported them.) I have gotten emails to an address that is not at all connected with Paypal claiming that my account is limited, but yet the email didn't even have a Paypal account. I just like to share scams as I see them. This one was a bit different and unfortunately I can see somebody falling for it. I don't have a Liberty Reserve account so automatically I knew it was no good without even opening it. I did open to share info with others tho.
It's not very hard to spot scams. Anything out of the ordinary is easy to find. Once you get used to their emails, you kind of know what's to expect.
Me too. If I need to manage my accounts or want to check on anything, I always go to the website itself rather than going through links in emails. I have to be especially careful now that I have a credit card. I used to get spam emails from a credit card company,but I always deleted them because I didn't have a credit card. Now I get both emails from my credit card company AND fake emails pretending to be from my credit card company.
Well now that Liberty Reserve is already gone since the owner is facing criminal charges, then at least the scammers will have 1 less company to spoof. Liberty Reserve was the number 1 choice of the scammers since they have no dispute feature unlike Paypal.
Thanks for the heads up. From time to time I'll get emails that just look like spam form the beginning and won't even bother to open it but every once and a while I'll feel tempted to click on it when the title seems interesting but then I remember other warnings I've heard and resist doing it. Your message was a reminder though, to keep on my toes.
Liberty Reserves has been closed anyways and people who didn't take their money out on time lost quite a bit of it, so all of this has become a moot point now, Mayvin.
