Tonka
05-29-2008, 12:49 PM
I just got a "Hallmark" e-card and it did not have a name of who it came from. Since I did not know who was sending it, I did not open it and asked (forwarded it) Hallmark (using my own link).
Their response:
Thank you for contacting Hallmark.
There is a growing threat of e-mail spam attacks which are spoofing our
E-Card e-mail notifications. The scenario is that you receive an e-mail that indicates a “friend, neighbor, or partner” has sent you an e-card from Hallmark (or another company). Within the e-mail you are invited to click on a link to view the e-card. If you click the link in the e-mail, you are directed to a malicious site which downloads a virus file and uses your computer to serve as a way to proliferate the e-mail spam, OR as a host of the malicious download.
Here's what you should do:
--Do not click on any link in the suspicious e-mail.
--Contact your e-mail provider so they can shut down these malicious sites.
--Forward the e-mail to abuse@hallmark.com (you will not receive a reply.)
--Visit the FBI's website at www.ic3.gov to file a complaint. Once you no longer need the suspicious e-mail to file your complaint with the FBI you should delete it.
If you received a legitimate E-Card from Hallmark, the first line of the e-mail will tell you who has sent you the E-Card and the URL in the message of your e-card notification will begin with:
http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a+
That will be followed by characters that describe your individual E-Card. If the clickable URL is an EXE file, then do not download it.
Unfortunately, you have not received a legitimate electronic greeting from Hallmark.com. Both the message you received and the site it directs you to are from someone impersonating us in an attempt to put a virus on your system or get private information from you. They have illegally duplicated some images from our site to strengthen the deception. The sender of the e-mail is not affiliated with Hallmark in any way.
Hallmark.com will never ask for your username and password, or for any other personal information, in order to retrieve an electronic greeting. If you provided your personal information in response to this hoax, we encourage you to notify your internet services provider immediately. Hallmark is not the only company targeted by schemes like these; you should be careful not to disclose your personal information in response to any unsolicited request like this from anyone.
We regret the inconvenience this fraudulent e-mail has caused and assure you that Hallmark is working diligently to stop this illegal activity. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Thank you for taking the time to let us know.
Thanks,
Hallmark Consumer Care
www.Hallmark.com
Their response:
Thank you for contacting Hallmark.
There is a growing threat of e-mail spam attacks which are spoofing our
E-Card e-mail notifications. The scenario is that you receive an e-mail that indicates a “friend, neighbor, or partner” has sent you an e-card from Hallmark (or another company). Within the e-mail you are invited to click on a link to view the e-card. If you click the link in the e-mail, you are directed to a malicious site which downloads a virus file and uses your computer to serve as a way to proliferate the e-mail spam, OR as a host of the malicious download.
Here's what you should do:
--Do not click on any link in the suspicious e-mail.
--Contact your e-mail provider so they can shut down these malicious sites.
--Forward the e-mail to abuse@hallmark.com (you will not receive a reply.)
--Visit the FBI's website at www.ic3.gov to file a complaint. Once you no longer need the suspicious e-mail to file your complaint with the FBI you should delete it.
If you received a legitimate E-Card from Hallmark, the first line of the e-mail will tell you who has sent you the E-Card and the URL in the message of your e-card notification will begin with:
http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a+
That will be followed by characters that describe your individual E-Card. If the clickable URL is an EXE file, then do not download it.
Unfortunately, you have not received a legitimate electronic greeting from Hallmark.com. Both the message you received and the site it directs you to are from someone impersonating us in an attempt to put a virus on your system or get private information from you. They have illegally duplicated some images from our site to strengthen the deception. The sender of the e-mail is not affiliated with Hallmark in any way.
Hallmark.com will never ask for your username and password, or for any other personal information, in order to retrieve an electronic greeting. If you provided your personal information in response to this hoax, we encourage you to notify your internet services provider immediately. Hallmark is not the only company targeted by schemes like these; you should be careful not to disclose your personal information in response to any unsolicited request like this from anyone.
We regret the inconvenience this fraudulent e-mail has caused and assure you that Hallmark is working diligently to stop this illegal activity. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Thank you for taking the time to let us know.
Thanks,
Hallmark Consumer Care
www.Hallmark.com