In outlook, if you mouse over the link in the email it will show you the
actual target of the link text. Usually this is enough to "out" the spoof.

But you are absolutely right: It isn't hard... Just always start with a
clean browser window and type in httpS://www.paypal.com and go from there.
Don't omit the https or the www as doing so will allow a search bar attack.

---
James.
 
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu 
> [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behalf Of Mike Hord
> Sent: 2005 Nov 04, Fri 10:13
> To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public.
> Subject: Re: [OT] is this a fake paypal? what the site can do to you?
> 
> > I don't mean to be... Mean. Or to question your intelligence... I'm 
> > sure there must be a reason for this, and I genuinely want 
> to know how 
> > anyone could think that was a link to PayPal.
> >
> > I honestly want to know. I'm trying to understand how people get 
> > sucked into these things, so I can try to help.
> >
> > What in that link makes you wonder if it could be real?
> 
> In this case, I'd agree with you, James, but not all Paypal 
> phishing e-mails are so bad.
> 
> I get between two and four e-mails a day on my work account 
> phishing for account info:  PayPal, ebay, and various credit 
> unions the phishers expect a university employee might do 
> business with.
> 
> The first one I got, the link read as being to paypal.com.  I 
> followed it, and the address in the address bar began with 
> "www.paypal.com"
> and went on from there with the usual gibberish.  I almost 
> started filling the form out, when I realized how stupid I 
> was being, and started snooping.  The first hint, of course, 
> was that PayPal didn't (and doesn't) have my work e-mail address.
> 
> These crooks are surprisingly sharp.  The bottom line, as 
> someone else suggested, is never to follow a link from an 
> e-mail.  Go to ebay.com or paypal.com and log in, then see 
> whether you have messages from there.  It's the only way to 
> be reasonably sure.
> 
> Mike H.
> 
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