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Heads up - Fake Kalmbach phishing e-mail!!

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  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Mpls/St.Paul
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Heads up - Fake Kalmbach phishing e-mail!!
Posted by wjstix on Thursday, November 17, 2022 1:01 PM

Just got an e-mail from "Kalmbach Hobby Store" saying 

"We hope you are enjoying Modeler’s Guide to the Right of Way. This book has provided you with a great overview on everything around and under the tracks."

Problem is, I never bought that book. When I looked at the e-mail, it's not from the usual Kalmbach Hobby Store address, it's got "kalmbach" and then a string of jibberish letters. Otherwise, looks very much like a real Kalmbach e-mail, but I assume it is a scam / phishing e-mail trying to bait you into clicking on one of the "Learn More" buttons so it can download some type of virus or autobot stuff on your computer.

Sad

Stix
  • Member since
    February 2008
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Posted by maxman on Thursday, November 17, 2022 3:45 PM

Yes, got the same email.

Also got three emails from something called Myscienceshop at email.kalmbachdotcom.

Said I could unsubscribe but I didn't know if that would unsubscribe me only from this new thing or from the MR newsletters also.

 

  • Member since
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Posted by LouC on Thursday, November 17, 2022 5:45 PM

I also received three emails from Myscienceshop. One of them reminding me that I had something in my shopping cart. I just deleted them figuring they were spam without examining them closer

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Ontario
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Posted by dieselsmoke on Friday, November 18, 2022 8:50 AM

LouC

I also received three emails from Myscienceshop. One of them reminding me that I had something in my shopping cart. I just deleted them figuring they were spam without examining them closer

 

Me too. I deleted them also. No telling what will happen if you click on anything in those emails.

Jim

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Mpls/St.Paul
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Posted by wjstix on Friday, November 18, 2022 8:55 AM

Ya, I seem to recall in a computer security class at my job they said that clicking on the "unsubscribe" button can send your info to the hackers. Best just to delete it.

I did also receive one about 'something in your shopping cart' from the Kalmbach science shop too. I had visited it in the past (I also subscribe to Kalmbach's "Astronomy" magazine) but fortunately didn't click on the link.

Stix
  • Member since
    March 2021
  • From: Grants Pass, OR
  • 60 posts
Posted by Pauley on Friday, November 18, 2022 10:12 AM

I got the same set of emails. 

I didn't think it was spam. My name was in the email, and all the links seemed to resolved to a Kalmbach URL. The fact that we all got the same set makes it seem like it's a possibility that it was a screw-up from Kalmbach. 

OTOH, someone could have hacked their site and got their email list. Who knows these days.

In any event, it would be nice if someone at Kalmbach reached out and explained.

  • Member since
    March 2011
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Posted by NVSRR on Friday, November 18, 2022 10:19 AM

All doing the unsub#cripe thing does is verify that they have a legitimate email.  The original scammer may do nothing with it but because it has been. verified, it is now worth more money just for them to sell it.

 

shane

A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel

A realist sees a frieght train

An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space

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  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
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Posted by selector on Friday, November 18, 2022 1:31 PM

I just received a renewal of amazonPrime TV, but the address from is:

tonywd5gcl@outlook.fr

They offered to refund me if it's a mistake with a handy 'get refund now' hot link.

I'm sitting on the fence on this one.  I really like amazonPrime, but who the heck is Tony? Laugh

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Mpls/St.Paul
  • 13,892 posts
Posted by wjstix on Friday, November 18, 2022 1:44 PM

selector
I'm sitting on the fence on this one.  I really like amazonPrime, but who the heck is Tony? 

 
Well, and .fr is the internet code for France...so maybe Tony is really Antoine? Cool
 
That's one thing that often suggests it's a scam, if it appears to be from a company or organization you know is in the USA, but the last two letters are the code for a foreign country, like .ru for Russia. 
Stix

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