Greeting Card Industry and FBI Warn Consumers of E-Card Scam

The Greeting Card Industry and the FBI have warned consumers about an e-card scam as many email messages are making their rounds. The modus operandi of the cyber crooks masquerading as the players from the greeting card industry is sending a phishing mail with subject as a “friend” or “classmate” and taking users to their fraudulent website when clicking a link in the email.

Generally such e-mails originate from unnamed individuals with and intention of installing a malicious code on the computer of the user who clicks the link or extracting more personal details when he visits the fraudulent website.

“If you get an e-mail claiming you’ve received an e-card from a generic ‘friend’ or ‘family member’ rather than from someone whose name or personal e-mail address you recognize, the e-mail is fraudulent and should be immediately deleted,” says John Hambrick, Unit Chief of the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center in a statement. “Do not follow any of the instructions in the e-mail or click on any link.”

The Greeting Cards Association has issued some guidelines to consumers who want to know the legitimacy of the e-card notice. For example, the receiver of the e-mail has to open a new window of the browser instead of clicking the link in the e-mail. Then the user must check “e-card pick up” area after manually typing the URL. If you are unable to retrieve the e-card, you will know the notification was a scam, and that it should be deleted.

The Association also suggested the consumers who receive these fraudulent e-mails file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov.