Received two strange emails. The first was from "Canada Post" and was about a failed delivery. One, I never ordered anything that was to be delivered.. Two, I was home when the "failed attempt" was made. And three, Canada Post puts a card in my mailbox if there was a delivery attempt that indicates where it can be picked up and when. Didn't click on the provided links.

The second one was from "Facebook" indicating that I had posted something on a wall and the "person" was responding. (The "person" isn't one of my friends) The response was a childish insult. I figured Facebook screwed up somehow and sent notification of a new wall message to the wrong email. This one I clicked on but when it asked for my password, didn't enter it.

Then I realized that both of these emails were sent to an email address that I don't use often and had never given out to either place. The "Canada Post " one doesn't worry me since I never opened the attached links but the "FaceBook" one does. I wonder if either was an attempt to install some type of malware, trojan, or virus program of some type, PC or Mac.
At this point I'd like to check and see if anything might be on my Mac that shouldn't be there. I've heard about ClamXav and Sophos and of course the programs that need to be purchased. Which ones would work without messing up or causing problems for my Mac?

ClamXav should be fine. May take a long time to scan your HD, after which ClamXav should then be turned off again.

However I suspect the facebook was more of a phishing attempt. Enter your Username and Password and bingo someone can hack your account.

BTW you used a specific eMail address when you opened your Facebook Account. Any thing claiming to be from Facebook that is emailed to any other eMail address is fake.

BTW you used a specific eMail address when you opened your Facebook Account. Any thing claiming to be from Facebook that is emailed to any other eMail address is fake.

That's what dawned on me a short time after I got the email. It wasn't the email address I used for FaceBook.

I got the same Canada Post message. First indication something was awry was the timing. The "failed" delivery time was about three hours AFTER the email was received. Second was the email address. Canada Post would not have the email address the message was sent to. But I must say it looked very official. I didn't click any links. Bobby

I agree, Bobby, that the Canada Post email did look quite official. In my case the email was sent a few hours after the supposed failed delivery attempt.


Re: the FaceBook email, I checked on my account and realized the email address they used was an alternate email address I had listed for FaceBook. Now I'm curious as to how they came across that alternate email address.

The CanadaPost email usually end up in my junk folder. It does mention the tracking number thought. Take the number and track it in the official canada post website.

URLs are usually fishing URLs

The CanadaPost email usually end up in my junk folder. It does mention the tracking number thought. Take the number and track it in the official canada post website.

URLs are usually fishing URLs

In my case, the email ended up in my inbox. Also checked the "number" provided. It wasn't valid. I could say that it was another sign the email was a fake, but I've had instances where the tracking number was valid but, for one reason or another, didn't make it into the system.

Eitherway.. just right click the hyperlink and copy it.. paste it in a textedit. You should see where the scam starts. :)

The last one i received was on April 17th. First link is legit.. sends me to canadapost website. but the second one that says to download the shipping receipt is fishing..

oh btw.. if you read this..

Canada Post - Notice to Canada Post Customers ? SPAM with a Possible Virus (http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/aboutus/news/announcements/emailscamalert.jsf?LOCALE=en)

Thanks for the information IllusionX and the link to Canada Post.

Spammers send out at least billion emails a day, hoping that some poor sot is going to think they've received a real email. Sometimes they hit the right address, and it's your Facebook email/your bank/the name of your friend asking for cash from some far off land.

It isn't that they know where to send these. It's that eventually, the names and accounts will match, if they try enough times. And they will try, they will match, and somebody is losing money and privacy and security right now as as result.


I agree, Bobby, that the Canada Post email did look quite official. In my case the email was sent a few hours after the supposed failed delivery attempt.


Re: the FaceBook email, I checked on my account and realized the email address they used was an alternate email address I had listed for FaceBook. Now I'm curious as to how they came across that alternate email address.

I got one yesterday from USPS, but the email address really is usps.com so I'm a little confused...

Notification,

Our company’s courier couldn’t deliver your parcel.
Reason deny/Address delivery doesn’t exist in database.

LOCATION OF YOUR ITEM:Santa Ana
STATUS OF YOUR PARCEL: sort order
SERVICE: Expedited Shipping
ITEM NUMBER:U200330902NU
FEATURES: No

The label of your parcel is enclosed to the letter.
You should print the label and show it in the nearest post office to get a parcel.

Attention!
If the parcel isn’t received within 30 working days our company will have the right to claim compensation from you for it's keeping in the amount of $6.44 for each day of keeping.

You can find the information about the procedure and conditions of parcels keeping in the nearest office.

Thank you for attention.
USPS Customer Services.

I got one yesterday from USPS, but the email address really is usps.com so I'm a little confused...

It's easy to spoof an outgoing email address, reply-to email, etc.

ALSO, lots of people enter their email address incorrectly so REAL email goes to your email inbox when it should be going elsewhere. I've received people's real business account confirmations, store sign-ups, Skype invoices, you name it.

The USPS email is suspect for a couple of reasons. The sentence telling you to print out the label and take it to the nearest post office is practically the same wording as the one I received from "Canada Post" and it was almost certainly a fake.The sentenceThe label of your parcel is enclosed to the letter. doesn't make any sense. Also the notification has other grammatical errors in it. The person who make it up was either poorly educated or English may not their first language. But I don't think many companies would allow those errors in their communications to clients.
Oh, and if it is supposed to be "Expedited Shipping" the "item number" is probably supposed to be the tracking number but it doesn't exist in the USPS data base.

So clearly fake, but what's the point? There weren't any attachments and no links to click.

So clearly fake, but what's the point? There weren't any attachments and no links to click.

They screwed up and forgot to attach the virus