W A R N I N G - E-Gold Scam

jambutty · 06-08-2006, 09:27

Two emails allegedly from E-Gold.

One timed and dated at 06/08/2006 00:07 with the subject that reads:
E-gold down time/security upgrades
The message:

Quote:

E-gold Under Attack
e-gold was recently the target of a massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, which rendered www.e-gold.com inaccessable for aprox. 7.5hrs on Aug 3, 2006. Firstly, I would like to appologize for any undue stress or concern the current situation may have caused our users.

e-gold Ltd., in a joint decition with the Gold & SilverReserve Inc. [dbaOmniPayhttp://www.omnipay.net] has been developing a strategic outlook regarding plans to update e-gold's current account security measures. We made the best use of the downtime we experienced, taking our servers offline to implement these new security upgrades. We believe our clients will see such an improvement in the overall security of the e-gold system, that it will more then make up for the inconveience that our malicious attackers have caused.

The New Account Sentinel Private Key File™
e-gold's New Account Sentinel Private Key File™(also referred to as AccSentKey™) will signifigantly enhance the security of your e-gold account.

AccSentKey further empowers you to restrict access to your e-gold account by placing a Private Key File on your primary computer(s). This prevents unauthorized computers from accessing your e-gold account, even if current security measures are circumvented, and your password is maliciously obtained/stolen.

e-gold is now beginning it's phase in of this new security measure. By October 1, 2006 e-gold's servers will verify the existence of this Key file every time you access your account. If you do not have this key file on your computer you will be unable to access your e-gold account.

These enhancements are being deployed to provide you an additional level of protection in the event your passphrase is compromised due to poor security practices (we hope this does not describe you!). However, these enhancements should not be regarded as a replacement for proper security. We urge you to read and practice all of e-gold's security recommendations, which are available on e-gold.com.

Installing your new key file
Your new key file can be generated in two ways. Within the next few days you will recieve an email from us with information about the new Private Key File Generation Wizard. Simply use this generator to create your new Key file. If, after October 1, 2006, you sign in without your Private Key File, our new interface will prompt you to generate the file from the web. The e-gold login page will be changed, to allow you to specify the location of the Private Key File on your computer's hard drive.

Dr. Douglas Jackson
Founder of e-gold

The other timed and dated at 06/08/2006 06:19 with an attachment and the subject line of:
E-golds’s Private Key Generator.
The message:

Quote:

As one of e-gold's highly valued customers, you have been selected to be
part of the first group of e-gold user's to have access to the new security
feature.

You should have already received an e-mail detailing the new security
feature - the AccSentKey. In case you missed it, here is a brief overview:

AccSentKey further empowers you to restrict access to your e-gold account
by placing a Private Key File on your primary computer(s). This prevents
unauthorized computers from accessing your e-gold account, even if current
security measures are circumvented, and your password is maliciously
obtained/stolen.

e-gold is currently beginning it's phase in of this new security measure.
By October 1, 2006 e-gold's servers will verify the existence of this Key
file every time you access your account. If you do not have this key file
on your computer you will be unable to access your e-gold account.

Attached to this e-mail message, please find AccSentKey.zip. You will need
an UnZip program to open this file (e.g. WinZip, WinRAR, etc.). Inside, you
will find the E-gold Private Key Generation Wizard, which will lead you
thru the process of creating your new Private Key.

Please note, that as this is a priliminary release, being done only by
e-mail, our software development team has taken the liberty of 'packing'
(compressing) the software, to decrease the filesize. As such, some
heuristic-based anti-virus software may report that the software is
'packed', however, it should also inform that the software is otherwise
'clean' (contains no virus). The final release of this software will be
uncompressed to eliminate any potential issue.

Best Regards,
Dr. Douglas Jackson
Founder of e-gold

- e-gold security team

Both e-mails were addressed to my email address that is registered with E-Gold and appear to be genuine but in view of their email policy they can’t be.

I’ve forwarded both onto E-Gold and I await their response.

I’m betting that E-Gold did not send them. I’m also betting that they will fool an awful lot of people.

Madhatter · 06-08-2006, 09:30

What's e-gold?

andrewb · 06-08-2006, 09:38

Have you tried scanning the attachment?

Madhatter · 06-08-2006, 09:56

I wish these wouldn't keep ending up in here. how are they technical?. The very people this has been posted to help are the least likely people to come into this part of the board. People that do read general.
I dunno why you bothered jambutty to be honest, I don't any more. I got a phone call the other dy demanding money, clearly a scam but whats the point in putting it in a thread.

cashman · 06-08-2006, 15:41

cheers jambutty will watch out for that one, i aint had it yet, the point is hatter to WARN people like me and others who use e-gold, and as you said you dont know what it is- butt out.

Mick · 06-08-2006, 15:48

It is to do with the internet so goes in the internet section if we left all the topics allover the place people would never find them and the site would look a mess thats why the mods move topics to a more appropriate section.

jambutty · 07-08-2006, 08:52

No I didn’t try scanning the attachment Cyfr. There was no point because E-Gold does not send such emails. The only email that you get from E-Gold is the logging in security pin number and if they ever respond to an email that you send them. In any case the attachment wouldn’t be a known virus because if it were my ISP would have dealt with it.

Unzipping the attachment could run the programme that it contains straight away and that could be fatal. I wasn’t curious enough to find out.

In fact those emails didn’t even get to my computer as I ‘read’ them whilst they were still in my ISP mailbox.

Practically every day I read that someone has had their E-Gold account emptied because they believed what was written in such emails. Some sound so plausible and people fall for them over and over.

If E-Gold were going to introduce some additional logging in security the information would be on the web site after you log in and it wasn’t.

WillowTheWhisp · 17-09-2006, 22:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashman

cheers jambutty will watch out for that one, i aint had it yet, the point is hatter to WARN people like me and others who use e-gold, and as you said you dont know what it is- butt out.

I think you misunderstood his post. It tends to happen when people don't necessarily punctuate correctly or use the correct grammar.

I think he was complaining that the warning is in the technical section (possibly having been moved here from general chat) and that being in the technical section is not as likely to be seen by non-techie minded people and yet the non-techie types are the ones more likely to be taken in by such scams.

I can see what he means. No criticism of Jambutty was intended as far as I read it. I can also see Mick's point of view of trying to keep the place tidy.

What is E-Gold though? I don't know either.

Less · 17-09-2006, 23:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

I can also see Mick's point of view of trying to keep the place tidy.

Yes there's no stopping Mick on here since his operation always sweeping up and never goes anywhere without a duster in his overall pocket.

I think he's getting a little obsessive though if you put an elephant smilie on he'll complain if it isn't facing the door and will move it to what he considers the correct position.

You just watch the elephants facing to the right, what you bet after he comes in tomorrow it will be facing the other way around?

WillowTheWhisp · 18-09-2006, 07:21

Are we allowed elephants in here? They can make an awful mess you know! Mick is going to need a big bucket, a shovel and a stiff brush.

I still don't know what E-gold is.

jambutty · 18-09-2006, 08:01

WillowTheWisp – E-Gold is a well established on-line payment processor much like PayPal. Although that last sentence will be a fat load of use to you if you don’t know what PayPal is.

On-line payment processors are a bit like a bank but on the Internet. You can open an account for free, or several if that is your wish, and use it to pay others who also have an account for goods, services or joining fees.

You can fund your on-line account by various means and withdraw direct to your own high street bank or fund a Debit Card to withdraw your cash at an ATM. Although different on-line payment processors have different rules.

WillowTheWhisp · 18-09-2006, 08:36

Thanks Jambutty. I have a PayPal account (eBay for the use of) but I get a bit cheesed off with it at times. I'd never heard of E-Gold.

jambutty · 18-09-2006, 09:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Thanks Jambutty. I have a PayPal account (eBay for the use of) but I get a bit cheesed off with it at times. I'd never heard of E-Gold.

The main users of E-Gold are people like myself who manage to earn a few dollars (well more than just a few actually) on the Internet by joining various sites that ‘promise’ to return more than you deposit over a period of time. 99% turn out to be scams but even on those with luck you can still make some profit. But it is a risky business.

I’m not suggesting that you should open an account with E-Gold but if you are curious enough to find out a bit about it have a look at www.e-gold.com