Unauthorized use of card 390105 Email Scam - A Scammer is Phishing for Your Identity

Identity Theft Scams
The American Express "Unauthorized use of card 390105" Scam
Redirects to spoofed (Fake) website: a variety of URLs, including https://tinyurl.com/seuenv7d3

You may have received an email like the one below that looks very authentic, like it came from American Express, or a phone call about the same subject. It is an attempt to get you to enter confidential information (typically a social security number, name, address, bank account information, etc., to allow the scammers to steal your identity and open credit cards in your name.

This email was not sent by American Express; American Express  is a victim as well. This is referred to as spoofing (making a fake email that looks legitimate, "phishing" (when by email) or "vishing" (when by telephone). If you receive an email similar to the one below, DO NOT click on the link, and do not enter any information on the forms there.

The website that the link leads to is a spoof; a fake website, not created by American Express. It goes to a variety of URLs, including http://nosgoth.at/aMB8dBws/index.html, not AmericanExpress.com! When you enter the information they ask for, you will simply be handing the thieves the keys to your bank accounts.  That is how spoofing, phishing and vishing works.

Remember, no reputable business would send you an email or a phone call requesting your personal account information. Any such email you receive asking for this information should be considered phony and brought to the attention of the business being 'phished'.

Anytime you need to go to a website for your bank, credit card companies or other personal, financial or confidential information; do not follow a link in an email; just type their address in your browser directly (such as www.AmericanExpress.com )

Below are actual phishing emails that started circulating in early 2012. We have disabled the links to the phisher's website, which is a variety of URLs, including https://tinyurl.com/seuenv7d3n

It is possible that the owners of the website ( https://tinyurl.com/seuenv7d3nm) are not involved, and that their server has been hacked, but the fact remains that this is the address the scam  goes to. See this page for another variation of the scam

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----- Forwarded message -----

 

From: Amex Membership Randy Kerr <aliconn@zelzahshrine.com>
Date: January 12, 2024 at 10:02:50 AM EST
To:
Subject: Unauthorized use of card 390105



Important information about your account.         Unauthorized charge on your credit   We have placed a hold on your credit. To start using your card Just Iog in to your account onIine here. please have your card handy we need your updated information on file.   Just remember, our window of time is limited. We want you to know that we are still here for you, so please take a look at the solution right way.   Thank you for your Card Membership,   American Express Customer Care     Your account information is included above to help you recognize this as a customer care email from American Express. To learn more about email security or report a suspicious email, please visit us at americanexpress.com/phishing. We kindly ask you not to reply to this email but instead contact us via . © 2024 Amercan Express. All rights reserved.   ALEENALROPGVZ924 SSFOLUWUP16306

 

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Reporting the scam to American Express

You can report the scan to American Express either

• on their website, here: American Express
• Or by forwarding the scam email to them here: spoof@americanexpress.com

 

What is Phishing?

Phishing is an attempt by an individual or group to solicit personal information from unsuspecting users by employing social engineering techniques. Phishing emails are crafted to appear as if they have been sent from a legitimate organization or known individual. These emails often attempt to entice users to click on a link that will take the user to a fraudulent website that appears legitimate. The user then may be asked to provide personal information such as account usernames and passwords that can further expose them to future compromises. Additionally, these fraudulent websites may contain malicious code.

Learn More About Phishing

The following documents and websites can help you learn more about phishing and how to protect yourself against phishing attacks.

• Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks
• Protecting Your Privacy
• Understanding Web Site Certificates
• Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG)
• Federal Trade Commission, Identity Theft
• Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams

Methods of Reporting Phishing Email to US-CERT

• In Outlook Express, you can create a new message and drag and drop the phishing email into the new message. Address the message to phishing-report@us-cert.gov  and send it.
• In Outlook Express you can also open the email message^* and select File > Properties > Details. The email headers will appear. You can copy these as you normally copy text and include it in a new message tophishing-report@us-cert.gov .
• If you cannot forward the email message, at a minimum, please send the URL of the phishing website.

* If the suspicious mail in question includes a file attachment, it is safer to simply highlight the message and forward it. Some configurations, especially in Windows environments, may allow the execution of arbitrary code upon opening and viewing a malicious email message.

For more information about phishing, see this page.

 

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For a comprehensive list of national and international agencies to report scams, see this page.