The Scam Emails Are Getting Lazy: “Thanks for Your Order”… What Order?
Apparently, my imaginary shopping spree continues.
After Bitcoin purchases, mystery subscriptions, Geek Squad renewals, Facebook event invitations, and even a watch repair I never requested, the scammers have apparently decided they were working too hard.
Why bother creating an elaborate fake invoice when you can simply send:
“Thank You for Your Order.”
What order?
Excellent question.
Two Days, Two Mystery Orders
Yesterday, I received an email from “Manthan Williams” with the subject:
“Re: Thank You for Your Order 1KJBO6SYBRM6TJBQLEDV”
There was an attachment.
And almost nothing else.
Today, “Elizabeth Lewis” joined the party with:
“Thank You for Your Order 0RQKQA6198JOMD57P”
Another random order number.
Another attachment.
Another email with practically no explanation.
Apparently, customer service has embraced minimalism.
At Least Tell Me What I Bought
This is what makes these emails almost funny.
No recognizable retailer.
No product description.
No price prominently displayed.
No useful explanation of what I supposedly ordered.
Just:
Thank you for your order. Here's an attachment.
Oh, sure. Let me immediately open a mystery attachment from a random Gmail account to discover what I supposedly purchased.
What could possibly go wrong?
I'm not opening it.
That's an important point. I don't need to open an unsolicited attachment to investigate a purchase I don't recognize.
If I actually ordered something, I can check the retailer or payment account independently.
The Random Gmail Addresses Aren't Helping
One email claims to be from Elizabeth Lewis but arrives from a seemingly unrelated Gmail address.
The other claims to be from Manthan Williams and also comes from an unrelated Gmail address.
Could legitimate people use Gmail?
Of course.
But when an unexpected “order” email arrives from a random Gmail account, provides virtually no information, and wants me to open an attachment to learn more, my curiosity isn't winning this battle.
Delete beats double-click.
The Attachment Is the Bait
These messages use a slightly different approach than the fake PayPal and Facebook invitation scams I've been documenting.
Those messages tried to scare me with a large dollar amount and get me to call a telephone number.
These appear designed to create curiosity:
What did I order?
How much did they charge me?
Did somebody use my credit card?
What's in that attachment?
And that's exactly why I'm leaving the attachment alone.
Fear can make people click.
But so can curiosity.
My Imaginary Self Has Quite the Lifestyle
According to my inbox, imaginary Niel has been busy.
Bitcoin.
Geek Squad.
Mystery subscriptions.
Watch repairs.
More mystery subscriptions.
And now two mystery orders in two days.
The only thing missing is knowing what I actually bought.
Come on, scammers.
If you're going to invent purchases for me, at least make them interesting.
Tell me I bought a Ferrari.
A beachfront condo.
A private jet.
Maybe a lifetime supply of Coke Zero.
Give me something worth accidentally ordering.
Instead, I get:
ORDER 0RQKQA6198JOMD57P.
I'm underwhelmed.
Have a Scam Email? Send It to Me
I'm still collecting these because the tactics keep changing, even though the objective remains the same: get us to react before we stop and think.
If you've received a suspicious email, fake invoice, mystery order, phishing text, social media scam, or another creative attempt to separate you from your money, send it my way:
Tell me what happened and send a screenshot if you have one. Please remove or cover sensitive personal or financial information before sending anything.
Maybe I'll feature it in a future post.
Until then, Elizabeth and Manthan:
Thanks for thanking me for my orders.
Whatever they are.