Well, it’s official. I’m on a list or something. I received this spam email yesterday from FedEx. It claimed “the parcel was sent your home address” (sic).

“The tracking number are attached”… Uh, what? Oh silly scammers. So, “FedEx” apparently has a parcel for me and if I download these two files, it will supposedly bring me that much closer to this parcel of mine, oh and several other “FedEx customers” who also received this parcel, too.

Even more amusing was the subject line, “FedEx system notification 007.” Watch out! It’s a top secret parcel! And you can only access it by downloading two special files. Files that will magically make the parcel appear.

Or you can wait 7 days. But if you’re CURIOUS, you can open the attachment and track where “the parcel” is. Well, if it were actually MY parcel, why would every other “FedEx customer” be on the email? (If that’s the case, I fear there might be a bit of a tussle over this parcel!)

I bet it’s just a box full of packing popcorn, or better yet, cans of “spam.”

And at first reading, I thought “FedEx 1995-2011” was a mistyped phone number, but I think this is the scammers attempt at a copyright date.

Oh, and one more thing, the document isn’t below, it’s above, and that sentence would have ended just fine at “attached.”

Ok, Ok. I’ve had my fun. But let’s be serious for a minute. You know that opening attachments from companies or people you aren’t doing business with (sorry FedEx) is never a good idea.

If you run super cool security software on your computer, phishing links will be blocked at the source—that’s the wonder of our Maximum Security™.  But if you are running security-free, attachments like these could harm your computer and then you will need a parcel—a new computer!

Be smart. Before opening any attachments check the email “from,” check the “to,” confirm that you know the person who sent the email to you, and always look at the attachment title. This FedEx email attachment was titled: “Izewaifocyd.” Now, that doesn’t really compel me to press the download button, but maybe that’s just me.

I work for Trend Micro and opinions expressed here are my own. 

By: Jennifer Burns