Other Where do I stand legally? leaked info.

I am so angry right now that I could burst. This actually caused me to have a nightmare last night.

So last night I was all ready to take my pills and watch TV for a bit before going to bed, as I do every night. Just before I do though I check my emails and notifications on my phone to stop it flashing blue all night. Any way, I noticed I had this odd email from some one called Vanetta Tastet (no SIC, that is how it reads.).

I don't usually open emails from people I don't know, but saw the heading. When I read the email I was f*****g horrified.

This is the email here, obviously heavily censored. Note any bold is to remove any personal info.


Hello, VT's mother's full birth name

I am bothering you for a very serious occasion. Though you don't know me, but I have a lot of personal info on you. The fact is that, most probably mistakenly, the data of your account has been dispatched to me.
For instance, your address is:

VT's mother's full address
and phone number, and DOB

I am a law-obedient citizen, so I decided to prevent may have been hacked. I attached the file - VT's mother's last name.DOC that I received, that you could learn what data has become accessible for scammers. Document password is - 4467

Best wishes,
Venetta Tastet

I had a feeling about the .doc file, IE that it was some sort of data stealing virus. In order to see what was in there I ran a virtual machine with all sorts of AV programs installed and sure enough it executed a algorithm to steal my passwords. It has now been quarantined and deleted.

However, I am absolutely f*****g FUMING at Talktalk. I read that they were hacked and attacked back in December by a couple of teens who managed to steal all sorts of sensitive data and information about their customers. I was kinda praying that mum's was safe but it seems not. So last night I had this really bad dream that a Nigerian scammer phoned mum in the middle of the night and started demanding money.

Is there anything I can do about this legally? I have made a formal complaint to Talktalk and will be calling them next Tuesday when I am over at mum's, but I wanted to check if there was anything I could do legally about this.

TBH? to say I am absolutely disgusted would probably be the understatement of the century.

 

Yeah I think switching her over is for the best. I wouldn't give a crap if it were me, but my mother is now starting into her 70s and I spend most of my life worrying about her. She's incredibly frail now, but used to stand her ground. I remember once her Threshers was robbed at knife point and she slammed the door on the second attacker and broke his arm. He tried to sue her

But yeah, seeing her at this age has just filled me with 24/7 worry.

I think I will do some research over the next week and basically get the ball rolling next Tuesday. It's not like she needs Talktalk any more, there are more lines in her area now.

 

It seems Sky offer all sorts of fibre goodness in her area, at a lower price than she is paying now.

Basically "back when" she could only get 4mb with various providers (all on the old BT lines). For 100gb cap it used to cost £50 a month with the line etc. So I was delighted when Talktalk did their own LLU for £38 a month, up to 8mb. However, it seems things have changed since so she's getting a pretty crap deal. Switching her to fibre costs 99p more for 32mb.

So yeah, kinda thinking that's a done deal tbh. Will start the ball rolling next week.

 

The scam they usually pull on the victims of the TalkTalk hack looks like this:

1: They phone the victim pretending to be TalkTalk
2: They make up a BS reason to ask for remote access
3: Trick victim to log in to online banking for a seemingly innocent reason (like for example telling them that they got some compensation for the trouble and to go check)
4: Distract victim so they stop looking at online banking but don't log out
5: Clean out account

The above is from a Banks fraud team.


As for doing anything about Talktalks failures, not sure that would be possible, because they have already been fined £400k over it.

Only thing I can think of you can realistically do about it is to sit down with your mother and give her the security talk:

1: Never accept someones claims about where they are calling from even if they know something about her, always hang up and call back on the official number if necessary.
2: Never grant anyone access to the PC.
3: Never open email attachments from anyone other than close family and friends.
4: Never click on any link that claims to take you to a Bank / Payment service / Login anywhere other than the official website she accessed manually.

Agree, voting with your wallet is a good idea to teach companies a lesson.

 

Yup I am totally with you guys. The sooner I can get her off that crap the better IMO. Just tried calling her but she is on the phone (quelle surprise lol).

Will talk her through it all, then switch her over when I get over next week, or might even go over before that and get the ball rolling.

 

It is unlikely to be anything to do with the Talk-Talk breach. They are rubber-dicking you.

Google "I am bothering you for a very serious occasion. "

The attachment probably contains a virus.

 

Yup it was a virus. Either steals your password or encrypts your PC leaving you unable to use it.

 

+1

The number of places this information could've come from is huge. Assuming she's the typical old lady she isn't the biggest computer user, but you're trusting she never entered her info where she shouldn't have, or that her computer is 100% free from any nasties.

 

She doesn't have a computer.

All she has is an Amazon tablet that she goes on Facebook with. She has no email address either, I get all of that and the bills etc. So yeah, she's kinda limited on self damage.

I will give her a good talking to, but she's very street wise any way. Raising two kids on the outskirts of a council estate (we weren't in it thank god) has given her plenty of knowledge on trusting any one.

BTW just for info.. Like I said, she does not have an email address, just some Yahoo thing I set up for her to be able to join Facebook.. She doesn't know it though, nor the password.

The email address that the rogue email came to is mine. It is one I set up on Talktalk when we first got it and she's never been aware of it nor knows it even exists tbh.

 

Apologies, I didn't realise you'd found a virus (scan reading fail ).

You're right to be angry TalkTalk, but I don't think they have anything to do with this. IMO it looks like a regular phishing attempt.

 

It looks like they got the info from Talktalk, though. Firstly they had stuff she would never disclose to any one (the phone number, DOB etc) and secondly it came to the Talktalk address.

The hack back in December was solved and IIRC two teens were jailed over it. It included everything but the CC details (just the last four digits, IIRC) so it seems some one has gotten their hands on it and is firing out emails trying to kidnap a PC and demand ransom or steal your passwords.

I'm not an expert on viruses. A mate of mine used to take them apart etc.

Edit. A confession of guilt perhaps?

 

It seems people who are not with TalkTalk have also been sent the same email, with the same personal info. For example, there's a thread on this scam on the Virgin Media forum.

On Money Saving Expert forums there's talk of it being possibly the result of an eBay breach. Does that fit in your case?

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5624893&page=2#topofpage

 

Hmm possibly. Again, an Ebay account does exist but my mother knows nothing of it, even though it's in her name. All of the emails etc are mine. I set it up back in 2008 so I could buy things for her and myself. She never used it though. She has only been on the internet for about two years if that. We gave her a Fire tablet (the £90 or so one) and she fell in love with Facebook etc chatting to all of her old friends. That's pretty much all she uses it for, by my mother is some one that every one loves, so when she gets in contact with her old friends for example they don't think like younger people do (IE - "God I hated you then, why am I your friend now?) sorta thing

Either way this has been good in the end I guess. Basically when we bought into Talktalk back in 2010 we were on Zen, 4mb 100gb max and paying £50 a month for it plus the £20 or so line rental from BT. Then all of a sudden we can get double that speed for £35 a month all in with the line with no limits.

Thing is, things have drastically changed since then so I think it is time for her to upgrade. It will cost her bugger all, her internet speed will quadruple (32mb fibre) and it will cost her £30 a month for six months and then £38.99, pretty much bang on what she's paying now.

So yeah, maybe this has worked out for the best, 'cause I will admit I've kinda been wrapped up in my own life since 2012 and have kinda neglected mum's s**t a little.

Just phoned Mum and apparently just after Talktalk were hacked they sent her two letters. One saying data had been stolen but she was basically one of the lucky ones as hers wasn't (even though they probably sent that letter to every customer !) and then another one telling her that she should never give out any personal details be it over the internet or over the phone.

So aye, I am pretty sure they know this is caused by their leak. Also, both of the letters when read out are basically begging letters trying to stop their customers going elsewhere.

Oh yeah, something else.. Mum says some Nigerian sounding dude called her a few weeks back asking her to do something with the modem. She refused, saying that her son took care of all of that and knew his onions and the guy hung up.

 

I got almost exactly the same thing from Moshe Benitone just the other day:

"I am bothering you for a very critical matter. Allhough we are not familiar, but I have considerable ammount of information about you. The matter is that, most likely by mistake, the data of your account has been emailed to me.
For example, your address is:
PARENTS ADDRESS

I am a law-abiding citizen, so I decided to caution] you, that your PayPal pinned the file - Gault.dot that was sent to me, that you could explore what data has become available for scammers. File password is - 8080

Best regards,
Moshe Benitone"

I wonder if Moshe and Venetta know each other

 

Probably. And both law abiding people. Very rare in this day and age

 

Last time I saw about a law abiding citizen they turned out to be a murdered nut job, well least the film they were.

I have had a few of these not much you can do talk talk have had the slap on the wrists but the datas out there for people to use.

 

Aye that's a fantastic film.

 

My other half's grandmother calls me on average 3 times a week about some screen-blocking virus warning pop-up or email relating to "bank security checks". She got a new laptop at Christmas and only uses it for, funnily enough, Facebook (and Word).

Honestly, I think Facebook are the biggest culprits of wrecking any chance pensioners have of actually enjoying the internet or using it safely. I mean, I don't know exactly how much control they have of what clickable things show up, but I sure as hell know my grandmother-in-law WILL CLICK ON THEM ALL.

 

I had the same email too lol