Email from FBI about Piracy?


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Today I checked my email and one was from a unknown adress so I previewed it and it basicly said that downloading movies and mp3s is illegal, and my pc was scanned and my hard drive copied for evidence. It said I should expect some contact in a few days. The messege ended with an adress and FBI. :wacko: The email also had an attachment which I didn't open as it looked like a virus.

Now my question is, this is bogus right? I don't believe this thing because I've been reciving emails the past couple of days with the same kind of attachment and email adress. The sender's adress always ended with @.webb or something.

Can you guys tell me what this about? Thanks

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Since you are in Canada, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I believe the FBI (if it really is them) would not email first, that they would contact you via some other means. Also, you are in Canada, which would be out of their jurisdiction.

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tell me, how would they copy your harddrive and then manage to upload.. how much data? .. all of it from you to them without you noticing?

common sense says no

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Today I checked my email and one was from a unknown adress so I previewed it and it basicly said that downloading movies and mp3s is illegal, and my pc was scanned and my hard drive copied for evidence. It said I should expect some contact in a few days. The messege ended with an adress and FBI. :wacko: The email also had an attachment which I didn't open as it looked like a virus.

Now my question is, this is bogus right? I don't believe this thing because I've been reciving emails the past couple of days with the same kind of attachment and email adress. The sender's adress always ended with @.webb or something.

Can you guys tell me what this about? Thanks

If it was the FBI for real, they can get you anywhere (atleast i think so) but yeah if it was real you would most likely get a few people knocking on your door with a few warrents.

dane

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I would have to say its just a spoof email carrying a virus, an e-mail from the FBI would end in .gov, or something more official than .webb.

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Of course it's bogus, they can't copy your hard drive. Why would they have an attachment, except if it's a virus? And the FBI would be from .gov, not .webb

It's a load of crap. They'd bust you for sharing, not downloading.

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Thanks. I was thinking about me being in Canada too, plus I haven't downloaded an mp3 in ages.

aha.. so you were involved in illegal activities.. hmmmm.... could be true then

:laugh:

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Check it: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/download.asp

Snopes says it's a fake, here's a copy of the message some are getting:

Subject: You use illegal File Sharing...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Downloading of Movies, MP3s and Software is illegal and punishable by law.

We hereby inform you that your computer was scanned under the IP 94.195.57.211. The contents of your computer were confiscated as an evidence, and you will be indicated. In the next days you will receive the charge in writing. In the Reference code: #34510, are all files, that we found on your computer.

The sender address of this mail was masked, to protect us against mail bombs.

- You get more detailed information by the Federal Bureau of Investigation -FBI-

- Department for "Illegal Internet Downloads", Room 7350

- 935 Pennsylvania Avenue

- Washington, DC 20535, USA

- (202) 324-3000

Also, some of these are carriers of the Sober.C virus:
This message (which also arrives with subject lines such as "Preliminary investigation were started" [sic] and "Your IP was logged" is actually a carrier for an executable attachment which harbors the Sober.C virus, a mass-mailing worm that affects systems running any version of Microsoft Windows (other than Windows 3.x).
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I've been getting emails from .webbs with weird attachments for days now. It's getting kinda annoying.

Use filters to direct those particular incoming message straight to your bin, easy :)

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The FBI handles national cases anyways. They'd have to get Canada's approval to do anything to their citizens. Also, they most certainly would not send you an e-mail, they'd send you a letter in the mail. A letter in the mail is more threatening because any tard can get your e-mail adress, but not your home adress. It's more formal anyways.

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lol the phone number and address are real they are going to get so many people ringing up. If i was in the US I would ring up and say im so sorry for downloading mp3's please dont take me away. LOL

Dan

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Yes sadly this is a hoax, fraud attempts like this are on a dramatic increase. Emails claiming to be from Microsoft, Banks, law enforcement, prize winnings, jokes etc etc, all are pretty much guarenteed to be fakes. Even ones saying that they lost your details and to resubmit them, just so they can get your money etc. Any legit company would not go this route anyway, and if in doubt call them up yourself to verify. The law really needs to crack down on these ppl and stop wasting time supporting the penalising of children and grandparents for mp3s and the like.

As always as I am sure I don't need to remind fellow Neowins here, never open or respond to these emails.

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- Department for "Illegal Internet Downloads", Room 7350

lol if it were also realy it would say FBI division of internet crime/ organized crime. Ext. 3170

:whistle:

dane

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The contents of your computer were confiscated as an evidence, and you will be indicated. In the next days you will receive the charge in writing. In the Reference code: #34510, are all files, that we found on your computer.

I'd like to believe that the FBI would have a better command of basic grammar skills.

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