Phone phishers hop on filesharing legal threats bandwagon
Pete
phone the mark? how 1990's #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 14:34 GMT
Why bother going to the trouble of calling people to extort money. Isn't that what the internet's for?
Now I may be a bit out of touch, what with receiving almost no spam - ever. However it seems that a few million emails, sent at virtually no cost, would prick a few consciences and reap more rewards than spending time and money on old-fashioned methods like phone calls, as this gives the victim the opportunity to question their fraudsters.
This is where everyone else tells me that they already get a bazillion of these emails every day - oh well, there goes another make-money-fast idea!
Anonymous Coward
Don't know about phone and email phishers #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 14:34 GMT

But I keep getting legal looking letters from some outfit called Davenport something demanding money with menaces. It is illegal and tantamount to blackmail. Legal eagles (the nice sort) might want to look into it.
Death to P2P (not)
Gordon Pryra
Im not sure on the difference #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 14:34 GMT
Between the actions of the scammers and those of the lawyers
Anonymous Coward
finally... #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 14:34 GMT

someone who actually didnt get caught out.
Mike Crawshaw
I'm actually surprised! #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 14:34 GMT

That the scammers are using the phone first, at least. E-mail is less effort, more time-effective, and requires less manual input, not to mention easier to "scattergun", sending out hundreds of the same template at once.
Either way, scammers and lawyers - who can *really* tell the difference? Is there one?
Anonymous Coward
"Email phishers can't be far behind." #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 14:34 GMT

I recall reading some messages with "you're being investigated by the Interpol in a child porn case, click here to see the report" at least two years ago. Just change the message for "RIAA/MPAA/whatever" and "illegal downloading" (or "FBI" and "terrorism!") and you're set.
Make money fast! Ask me how.
dervheid
Just remember to pass any phishing attempt details... #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 14:37 GMT

onto the National High Tech Crime Unit.
Now, how do you contact them again?
Oh dear...
Luke Wells
Win! #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 14:48 GMT
Glad to hear that the customer had some brains. We usually hear of these storys after a victim has parted with their money.
Anonymous Coward
fraud is fraud #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 15:34 GMT

I would have told them I couldn't post the money and invited them to stop by to collect it so that I could fasten a set of vise-grips to their bollocks.
Anonymous Coward
Amazed #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 16:10 GMT

I am amazed this company has a customer looking at their website pricing structure
512K - £23.50
1Mb - £29.99
2Mb - £35.24
Up to 8Mb - £168.00
http://www.ukfsn.org/home/internet/adsl/unlimited.html
Anonymous Coward
Re: Don't know about phone and email phishers #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 16:10 GMT

AC, any chance of sending a scanned copy (minus identifying data, of course) to El Reg so that they can do an article on it?
It looks like something that we should all be aware of, either because it's real and enforceable (so that we can comply), or ceause it's a scam or a con by someone who is just scaring the good folks using t'Internet, in which case they should be exposed as such.
Dan
@Amazed #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 17:40 GMT

REAL unlimited ADSL is very expensive to do. Capped is much more competitive without being fakey.
Christopher Woods
@ "Amazed", Anonymous Coward #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 22:28 GMT

UKFSN are one of a group of small businesses who resell Entanet's ADSL packages as part of their portfolio (I do so also on a small scale) - Entanet's ADSL service runs on a basis of peak-time and off-peak traffic allowances, and they are very reasonably priced. There's a small markup (of course, each provider might charge their own amounts anyway, but that's up to them) but their truly unlimited packages pretty accurately reflect the actual potential cost of 'unlimited', constant usage through a 28 day period - if that's what it costs the carrier, then why shouldn't they charge the actual amount?
Businesses looking for quality broadband with guaranteed unlimited service are likely to sign up for those kinds of packages anyway. Personally I prefer services like Zen's (although I have ADSL2+ at my gaff anyway!)
Neoc
Hey, Moderators... #
Posted Thursday 4th September 2008 23:57 GMT

How the heck did we go from comments about a Phishing article to comments about web-hosting?
Moss Icely Spaceport
Easy Peasy #
Posted Friday 5th September 2008 09:07 GMT

If that nasty Davenport mob write to you. Ask for proof they are not scammers!
I bet they can't prove it.
B@st@rds the lot of them.
Mine's the one with the broad arrows printed on it.
Frederick Karno
This is the cost #
Posted Friday 5th September 2008 09:07 GMT
" I am amazed this company has a customer "
These companies have loads of customers because they are worth every penny.....
they also raise issues such as this and dont give out your details without checking the documentation.........(something which i just cant see BT et al doing they will give there normal customer service to dealing with matters of this kind and will pass on regardless of content all claims for infringement........) now is that few quid a month you save important ??? when you start getting letters for things you havent done ????
Anonymous Coward
@Im not sure on the difference #
Posted Friday 5th September 2008 12:26 GMT
The difference is the scammers aren't offering record companies money. Though why they don't is beyond me, tracking torrents is easy, easier than disguising them, which is easy enough.
It's just the 21st Century/Digital equivalent of Ambulance chasing.
Great industry to be in, if you have no soul to worry about.
Anonymous Coward
Never! #
Posted Friday 5th September 2008 12:26 GMT

If you're a small ISP (especially a reseller), you shouldn't offer "unlimited" for this sort of cost!
I work for a medium to large ISP and even our cheapest adsl max connection, which is unlimited usage, not port blocked, and is relatively un-contended, Is less than £20.
I'll grab my coat... it's raining again.