Friday 25 October 2013

Fake 'burglary' accusation



I was rather startled this morning to receive the following email in my capacity as President of apdo-uk - the Association that supports, promotes and develops our industry of professional organising and decluttering.

Name: Kathie
Email address: kathiekearns@gmail.com
Organisation: Kathie

Hello, I am writing in an unusual case ... Some time ago, I used your services, and one of your employees face was familiar to me. At dinner with my wife, it turned out that he was a burglar, who 5 years ago broke into our home!!! This is ridiculous!!! How you can hire criminals? I found at least 3 bad entries for him at website for background check!! I am sure there are more!!! Please do something about it, things like that are ridiculous!!!

I didn't have serious concerns about it, for several reasons. Firstly, apdo-uk is not an employer at all, but an Association, and we have clear disclaimers all over our site: it's the clients' responsibility to check the appropriateness and credentials of any of our members they wish to work with. Secondly, the email refers to a man, and out of 105 current members just five of them are men. They picked an organisation with entirely the wrong demographic for this message.

And then, of course, there's the overall style of the email. Poor grammar, excessive exclamation marks... the hallmark of a spammer.

I replied briefly in any case, pointing out the above, and also that I'd need explicit details before investigating any of our members further. However, a quick trawl on Google afterwards proved my suspicions. The (probably fictitious) Kathie Kearns has sent many such emails, especially to folks in the hospitality industry, as I found on this online noticeboard. [This particular gmail address appears also on several lists of noted spammers.]

The question was: why? The email I received contained no links nor attachments. If it was spam in the real sense, one of those would surely have been present. However, looking at the reports on the above forum from other folks that have been spammed, this idiot proves to be exceptionally bad at their job: in my email, they've missed out the link (to a site called Everifies, ostensibly providing online checks on businesses). I don't suggest clicking on it - although according to the forum, the website has now been taken down in any case.

I'm posting this to flag up the situation in the hope that my article will also appear in Google searches for key phrases or for this email address, if anybody else, like me, is suspicious. However, as one poster on the forum put it, "with 40 branches around the country it had me going for a minute". It would be very easy for a member of a large corporation to take the accusation seriously, and to follow a link to a site that may well have had malware.

Honestly. Even the quality of spammers is deteriorating!

54 comments:

  1. My brother's business got the same email this morning.

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  2. Thank you for posting. Just got the exact same contact submission on our company website.

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  3. Thank you for your post, my husband is self employed and received the same email yesterday, we were immediately suspiscious but it's still a very worrying email to receive, and as you say, there was no link to click so we also wondered, why? At least we can delete the email now and carry on with our lives as usual. Thanks again.

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  4. Our Company received the same email this morning from kathiekearns@gmail.com

    Hello, I am writing in an unusual case ... Some time ago, I used your services, and one of your employees face was familiar to me. At dinner with my wife, it turned out that he was a burglar, who 5 years ago broke into our home!!! This is ridiculous!!! How you can hire criminals? I found at least 3 bad entries for him at website for background check!! I am sure there are more!!! Please do something about it, things like that are ridiculous!!!

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  5. We are a drainage firm and this has come to us also today we have contacted the police to investigate very strange spam

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  6. Thanks for your post Cassie. Our business received the same e-mail and your post helped catch the hoax.

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  7. We just received the same thank you for posting this. What a scam

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  8. This came to our company too, caused a bit of a freak out. Thanks for this post, I google'd "kathie kearns" and this article came right up.

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  9. Good to read this. I too received the same email. Thanks for the heads up.

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  10. I received it too. only from kathiekearns@gmail.com With gmail, it made me think it was real. :) Thank you for posting.

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  11. I just got this email last night too. I knew immediately it wasn't for me, but mainly because I don't have any employees! The blog this spammer contacted me through is in the travel field as it is about local places and events. I was going to email back and tell them that they must have emailed the wrong person, but then I decided to Google it first. Yup spam. I didn't get a link in the email either which is why I didn't assume spam at first.

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  12. Thank you for this. It did pop up when I searched "kathiekearns@gmail.com". I received the identical email thru my website about 30 minutes ago. It startled me for a moment but I too realized it was fictitious a few sentences in...

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  13. Haha. I got the same email a few mins ago. They took the time to figure out the captcha and everything. Lame.

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  14. Thanks

    I just received the exact email today.

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  15. I to got the same message today..What a joke.. Really sick that someone would try something like this, I guess this is what happens when you have nothing better to do with your time...

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  16. I received the same mail yesterday! The poor grammar and weird accusation was a clear tip-off on the spamming intent of the sender. Seemed a bit odd that the sender "Kathie" had a wife..?? Also my business is based in the United Arab Emirates and I don't have any clients named Kathie!

    Thank you for blogging on this subject : a Google search of the senders' email led me to your site. It confirmed my suspicion that I was being spammed.

    My compliments on a very nice site.

    Roy - UAE

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  17. This first shocked me and I was concerned when this didn't appear under hoax-slayer which is usually my first reliable source to check hoaxes and spam emails. However, luckily google search proved to be reliable in showing that various people in the US and UK had come across this already and I can verify that a small start-up company in South Africa also got this stupid hoax. The first major indicator was that Kathie writes about "her" husband - well, I won't go into that but that just sounded odd to start off with, nevermind the rest. Pls just block this nonsense asap - theykre already getting more attention than they deserve - probably proud to have their name pop up first in google search - whoohoo morons!!

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  18. Hi just to make you aware we received the same message obviously spam

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  19. got same email University-Student Union, thanks.

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  20. I'm delighted to know that my post has helped so many people. Mercifully, it appears to be the most inept spammer on the planet; but as several people have commented, it's still worrying to receive such a thing, so I'm glad to have put people's minds at rest. Keep sharing such things - it can only help us all in the end! Cassie

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    1. Yes, thank you Cassie. I got that message this morning and as a family ran and operated business I was so confused by it. I replied explaining my business then Google searched and found your link showing the same.... Some people I guess! Thanks

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  21. I also go this hoax email this morning thus why I am here now because I googled to see if it was a hoax or not. I am relieved that it is but was suspicious anyway because of the poor grammar.

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  22. A quick search brought me here after receiving the same e-mail. much appreciated.

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  23. I received this email on the 22, funny thing is they sent it to a owner operated business.

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  24. I just received this email also. I supervise a chain of 8 locations in Long Island, NY. At first we were very concerned as we have many employees and this could be a real problem. Thank you for posting as we can now rest assured we do not have a criminal in our midst to fish out!

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  25. I received the same email from this individual lastnite with the exact wording.

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  26. Funnily enough I received the very same email this morning, had me going until I realised I am an owner operator of my own business. I thought my secret was out :-). Thanks for the article.

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  27. I just received the same email to my business which is family owned and operated. I was baffled by it, replied explaining how my business functions, and then Google searched to find that everyone is doing the same. And just like you said, no links or anything other than this accusation. People do crazy things... just makes me wonder why they targeted my business

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  28. I got the same email too...pet sit business.

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  29. Thanks for posting this, got this today and it went to one of my websites of which I am the only contributor - heh. Good though that I found this.

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  30. Hi received the same email today,what a pair of losers.

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  31. Received the same today, and again were a family business, but have two young lads working with us, where worried until I googled Ireland

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  32. Just received the same email from Kathiekearns@gmail.com - I dont even have employees.

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  33. We got the same and don't supply any services to the public, us products to retailers.

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  34. We got this today - made me laugh as we make rubber components for oil rigs ;0)

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  35. We got one today as well and none of our staff are customer facing

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  36. The scam doesn't always stop with the verification website. If they get a respondent's details, these companies or individuals have been known to plaster the respondent's details all over various 'record checking' websites and charge them astronomical rates to remove them. In the meantime jeopardising the career of job prospects of the victim.

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  37. Thank you Cassie.
    Our hints were the grammar and the 'wife' line, too. We were wondering about motive. Really, what is the point to several postings of the same content on our 'Contact Us' page.

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  38. I also received this loser's email. As a Realtor in Westlake Village Ca. I also have no employees so I knew it was a scam right away. I did notice there was no link in the email so it did make me wonder why they even bothered to send it. After finding your blog I was pleased to see how many people you have helped with this matter. I will now check out your website to learn more about you and your business. Have a great day!

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  39. I received this email twice. I used to have many employees and it bothered me at first, that is until i googled kathiekearns@gmail.com. I found several post and then PEACE. Thanks for starting the thread. My site only repairs computers. www.applecare.ie. Nerds prefer to snoop via the ether, not hood into homes with guns and sledgehammers.

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  40. you know how cynical the web can make you.. I received the mail too and although saw it as spoof I something stopped me from deleting 'just incase' I needed reference to it for some strange reason. Then googled it like so many others and landed here.. on your web site with your blog and details and thought what a crafty way to get people to your site ! Are you wearing a cheeky grin for your genius devious little plan ! LOL..!

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    1. Rumbled... ;) Actually, I was completely gobsmacked by the increase in traffic as a result of this episode. I fully expected other references to be picked up too, and (as you'll have seen if you've read the blog) I spend quite a bit of time highlighting things like this to share information in the hope it will be of help to others.

      Having said all that, obviously I wasn't going to complain at the results!

      [PS: Cheeky grin? That's my best friendly-but-professional face, that is....]

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    2. Got the same email.. and then some weeks later after my responce... (I don't hve any employees).

      got this in return. from kathiekearns@gmail.com

      "His name is not important. Entries for your company with the address (mywebsite) can be found at http://www.everifies.com !"

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  41. I got the same email this morning!

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  42. I received the same email.

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  43. Got one also...funny thing is us owners are the only employees HAHA

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  44. This person has emailed me twice now. First time was the same letter everyone else is getting and this time was to tell me not to worry about his name! LOL! Well, it seems you need a name in order to do a background check the last time I checked. Anyway, the site is still up but does not involve me because I have never had a male working for me anyway.

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  45. I got it as a subscription entry for my newspaper just now. It was very strange - "His name is not important. Entries for your company with the address....can be found at everifies.com. If that site was down, it's back up now.

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  46. Got one also...my website is not a company ergo we have no employees... got a follow up when I responded being a nice sort of chap that I am with this everifies website linked.

    I am an old hand tho so I don't go to strane websites without research any more which is how I found this....

    My main complaint is against Google- looking at other web-sites this particular email address has been doing the rounds for a few years and yet Gmail allows it to send spam (the same spam!!!!!) year after year.

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  47. got the same email last week, but today received another saying the persons name is not important and to check everifies.com. This has got to be a breach of advertising regulations and the company should be closed down.

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  48. My company got the same email weeks ago and have had the same response as the above person that 'the name is not important'. Ridiculous. Report it as fraud and block the user.

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  49. we received the same email stating the same as the above comments. the email came into our website email. so very disappointed with GOOGLE for allowing this to continue to happen... no excuse GOOGLE.com

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  50. got the second email today, "the persons name is not important and to check everifies.com.ery" very strange.

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  51. I replied to the email, suggesting thet the sender was either mistaken, or 'off the walls' (hope that translates) and received the following reply

    "Contact Us Request - From: Kathie, Reply to: kathiekearns@gmail.com
    Message: His name is not important. Entries for your company with the address www.xxxxxxxx.co.uk can be found at http://www.everifies.com !

    They are somehow promoting their website without mentioning it's name in their email. A search on everifies.com suggests that it is scam and needs a credit card to obtain information from it.

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