Well, I just got one the other day, so they are still using the blue envelopes. It so happened that the last AOL phishing letter I received was from the AOL billing Dept. I had just upgraded my credit card #. The AOL Billing dept said do NOT ever use the links in it but go to Keyword Billing. I get all kinds of Phishing letters. Most notably from EBay and PayPal. Since I have never used either one I knew it was fake. EBay gave me an E-Address to use to forward them to EBay. Was getting about 3 or so a week, but now down to about one per month. Got one the other day from my own bank. They tell me they never sent it. Gave me an E-Mail address for forwarding. Get all kinds of these Phishing letters. The ones that really bother me are these AOL/Tech conversation letters I receive. Jeannie Below are two of the responses from E/Bay Hello, Thank you for writing to eBay regarding the email you received. Emails such as this, commonly referred to as "spoof" or "phished" messages, are sent in an attempt to collect sensitive personal or financial information from the recipients. The email you reported was not sent by eBay. We have reported this email to the appropriate authorities. In the future, be very cautious of any email that asks you to submit information such as your credit card numbers or passwords. If you are ever concerned about an email you receive from eBay, simply follow these steps: 1. Open a new Web browser and type www.ebay.com into your browser address field to go directly to the eBay site. 2. On eBay, sign into your account and click the "My eBay" button at the top of the page. 3. Check the My Messages section located at the top of the My eBay page. If an email affects your eBay account, it's now in My Messages. Any email sent to your registered eBay email address from eBay or from another eBay member via eBay's member-to-member communication system will now appear in My Messages. Just remember, if you get an email to your registered eBay email address that looks like it's from eBay about a problem with your account or requesting personal information, check My Messages first. If it's not there, it's a fake email. If you still have any doubt about whether an email message is from eBay, please forward it immediately to spoof@ebay.com. Do not respond to it or click any of the links. Do not remove the original subject line or change the email in any way when you forward it to us. If you have already entered sensitive personal information, financial information, or your password into a Web site based on a request from a spoofed email, you should take immediate action to protect your identity and all of your online accounts. We have developed an eBay Help page with valuable information regarding the steps you should take to protect yourself. http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/isgw-account-theft-reporting.html To review eBay's new tutorial about Spoof Emails, please see the following Web page: http://pages.ebay.com/education/spooftutorial/ To help you better protect yourself from fake eBay and PayPal Web sites, we have developed a feature for the eBay Toolbar called "Account Guard." Account Guard includes an indicator of when you are on an eBay or PayPal Web site or a known spoof (or "phishing") site, buttons to report fake eBay Web sites, and a password notification feature that warns you when you may be entering your eBay password on an unverified site. To learn more about the eBay Toolbar with Account Guard go to www.ebay.com, click on "Downloads" at the bottom of the page, and then click on the "eBay Toolbar" link. Once again, thank you for alerting us to the spoof email you received. Your efforts help keep eBay a safe and fair place to trade. Regards, eBay SafeHarbor Investigations Team Original Message Follows: ------------------------ [ Attachment 1.3 Type: message/rfc822][ Forwarded message displayed below ] From: "eBay" <aw-confirm@ebay.com> Subject: FIP NOTICE: eBay Registration Suspension - User Agreement - Abusing eBay Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 16:54:29 -0500 [ End of Forwarded Message 1 ] XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Thank you for contacting us about a potential fraudulent (spoof) email or Web site. We will investigate this situation immediately and inform you of the results in a separate email. If you are reporting an email or a Web site that is asking for personal financial information, it is best to assume it is fake until you receive a response from us. In order to reply as quickly as possible, we are sending you an automated response about the following topics: 1. IDENTIFYING FAKE EMAILS AND WEB SITES 2. USING EBAY TOOLBAR WITH ACCOUNT GUARD 3. PROTECTING YOUR ACCOUNT AND INTERNET SECURITY Please submit other questions or concerns through our Contact Us System, which can be accessed by clicking on the "help" button on the top of any eBay page. This allows us to dedicate our resources appropriately. 1. IDENTIFYING FAKE EMAILS AND WEB SITES The best defense against fake emails and Web sites is learning how to spot them. You can learn more about fake emails and Web sites through our Spoof Tutorial at the following Web page: http://pages.ebay.com/education/spooftutorial/ You can also use My Messages (located at the top of the My eBay page) to detect Phishing emails. If an email from eBay affects your eBay account or asks for personal information, it's now in My Messages. Any email sent to your registered eBay email address from eBay that concerns your account or requests personal information will now appear in My Messages. 2. USING EBAY TOOLBAR WITH ACCOUNT GUARD One of the best tools to protect yourself from fraudulent (spoof) Web sites is eBay Toolbar with Account Guard. The Account Guard feature indicates when you are on an eBay or PayPal Web site and warns you if you are on a known spoof site. To learn more about eBay Toolbar with Account Guard open a new browser and type www.ebay.com/ebay_toolbar into the address bar. 3. PROTECTING YOUR ACCOUNT AND INTERNET SECURITY We recommend that you keep your browser, operating system, and virus protection software up to date. Check for updates at the "Windows Update" link on www.microsoft.com and scan your computer for viruses often. If you think your personal information has been compromised in any way, you should take immediate steps to change your eBay, PayPal, and email passwords. You should also contact your bank to see if there has been any suspicious activity on your account. You can find more information about protecting your identity at the following help page: http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/problems-identity-theft.html Thank you again for sending us your report. We appreciate your efforts to keep eBay and PayPal safe. Regards, eBay Trust & Safety Team