Suspicious Attachment from Reference Request

Good morning!

Last night I received an email that seemed too specific to be a general virus, but too vague and fishy to feel right...

The email was from Rachel Love - email address rlovetreasure@aol.com.
It came in at 9:02pm and said, verbatim:

Hi, I work as an escort, and I just got a request from a new client. He listed you as a reference. I am attaching a scan of his drivers license that he sent me.

Just checking to see if your remember him, and if he is clean and honest?

Thanks,

Rachel Love

Attached was a file called "DriversLicenseScanrargpj. scr. I was on my iPhone, so it tried to save to my dropbox, then would not open because dropbox didn't recognise the extension. I sent a reply to "Rachel", but it came back with a message from the mail delivery subsystem saying the address failed, and there are quite a few relays in the message...

I Googled the file type and it is associated with malware / viruses. I don't know for sure if anything nefarious is going on, but it just didn't sit right, and I wanted to just give everyone a heads up. As I opened the mail and clicked on the file from my iPhone, I'm fairly safe, but if you opened it on a PC, or Android, you could be in trouble.

Hope this info saves someone some heartache!

Be safe, in more ways than one!

NewKitten
Charlie xx
YoHou's Avatar
  • YoHou
  • 03-03-2014, 12:33 PM
Do people really ask for references by asking for a copy of a Driver's License?

I would have stopped it right there and considered it spam.
34E Whitney Weston's Avatar
I got the exact same email and deleted! I suggest everyone does the same. If you do not know the sender it is best to never open an attachment. Also what client would scan his D.L. and send to a provider to screen? NONE that I have met.
Chica Chaser's Avatar
Also what client would scan his D.L. and send to a provider to screen? NONE that I have met. Originally Posted by 34E Whitney Weston
Bingo!
tia travels's Avatar
scr = screensaver extension, no?

I'd just write her back and say,
"I'd be happy to give you a reference but I don't open attachments.
Please send another message with just his name, email, phone, city, handle (or whatever basic info. you need from her) and I'll see if I can recall meeting him."
LNK's Avatar
  • LNK
  • 03-06-2014, 08:53 PM
scr = screensaver extension, yes.
Phoenix Skye's Avatar
I received the same message but did not open the attachment. I do not open unknown senders with attachments.
YoHou's Avatar
  • YoHou
  • 03-07-2014, 01:35 PM
scr = screensaver extension, no?

I'd just write her back and say,
"I'd be happy to give you a reference but I don't open attachments.
Please send another message with just his name, email, phone, city, handle (or whatever basic info. you need from her) and I'll see if I can recall meeting him." Originally Posted by tia travels

You should not reply back to these emails because they are just fishing and hope that you either open attachment or reply back. Once you reply, they have a confirmation that someone is behind that email, and you'll just get more shit coming to your inbox.


That's the same idea for automated sms messages you get; if you reply to a message, from someone you don't know or subscribed to, then your reply allows them to subscribe you to whatever else.
rexdutchman's Avatar
do not EVER open attachments from unknowns, google first