It's getting really scary out there in cyberspace. If you think you are safe just because you have virus protection and a firewall, think again. Now we are being attacked in a more direct, but subtle way.

Steve Bass, a writer at PC World, puts out a newsletter to which I subscribe.. His warnings of February 5th stuck me as something to pass along. I hope I am in time to save someone from falling for a scam that could prove extremely harmful. He admits that he was almost fooled himself.

He says there are fake emails going around using very good imitations of AOL, EarthLink, Ebay and other well-known sites. Bass says that “doofuses” and “finaglers” are using these imitations sites to ask for credit card numbers and passwords. He goes on to describe the fake emails and says he will tell me how to recognize these hoaxes in next week’s newsletter.

Here are some of the links that he used in his newsletter to show the pages that are counterfeit:
A screen capture from an AOL impersonator at www.snurl.com/aolletter
The link that was provided in the email [also fake] at www.snurl.com/aolcc

Bass states that the link pointed to a bogus page but some links actually went to AOL pages. The data that was placed in the forms was sent to the impersonator’s database.

AOL does not ask for members passwords via email or website. If you encounter an email that you think is suspicious, AOL asks that you send it to them at TOSReports@aol.com or call888/265-8004.

OK, so you don’t use AOL and think you are safe. Think again. Have you ever gone to Ebay or do you use Earthlink for your ISP? These too are vulnerable. Bass says the email received from the bogus Ebay and Earthlink did contain some spelling errors, so that might be a clue for you - if you are a good speller. Check out the fake Ebay link at http://snurl.com/ebayscam

To subscribe to Steve Bass' newsletter, go to: http://www.pcworld.com/resource/newsletters/index.asp?sub_source In the meantime, be very wary of any suspicious email you receive sending you to a webpage and do not give your password or credit card info to anyone without verifying the legitimacy of the site. Most reputable companies offer a phone number to call. I have never heard of anyone asking for your password. They will offer to give you a new password and then direct you to change that as soon as you gain access. Err on the safe side, keep your information to yourself and don't volunteer more info than necessary.