Possible MSN scam
I've noticed a couple of the contacts on my MSN list have started displaying 'http://msncheck.41m.com - free way to check who blocked and deleted you on msn'. Naturally I went to this website to investigate and found that it promised the ability to check if anyone has blocked or deleted me, provided I gave my msn username and password.
Now there is no way I'm giving my username or password to anyone, let alone an unknown website. However, I was curious as to what would happen if I did. I tried the website with false information:
Note the 'your login info will be stored on our server for future use*'. This is the closest to any sort of privacy statement and/or website intent.
It then told me that it couldn't connect to my account (not surprisingly), and attempted to install a search bar. Ouch. All of this leads me to one conclusion: it's some sort of viral scam.
I may of course be wrong, but the way I see it working is this. You enter your details into the website which then stores them for future use*. Meanwhile, the website logs into your account and changes your name to contain a link back to the website (while putting adverts onto your computer with the search bar). Now all your friends will see the website's address and will probably also click on it. And so the website spreads.
Digging a bit further I find that the site has been registered to the following individual:
41M
41M - (sam@41m.com)
+1.-
Fax: -, +1.-
1212 AIM st
AIM, CA 0000000
US
Would you trust those details?
My own opinion is to avoid this website. At the end of the day, does it really matter if someone has blocked you? If they have then what are you going to do - tell them you know and force them to talk to you?
Whether the website does allow you to check for blocked/deleted friends I don't know, but I do know that once they have your password they have full access to your email and can probably extract other passwords and account details that might be stored there. This could potentially give them access to much more sensitive data. If you (or any of your friends) have entered details here then I would advise you change your password pronto.
* Future use being something bad
Suggested solutions
If you have already signed up for this service, and downloaded the 'search bar', then there are a couple of things you can do to clean your system out:
- Change your password and password hint immediately
- Run a Spyware/Trojan/Adware detection program:
- Run a virus scan
Comments (page 2 of 10)
Nov 9, 2005 12:34 pm
i think u r right, thanks buds for being here for us
Nov 6, 2005 5:26 pm
I think that that wbsite only works on @hotmail emails... it dusnt work for my email wen im logged in... its a gmail account
Nov 2, 2005 1:20 pm
I have a free block checker service running for over a year now (AIM, ICQ, IRC, JABBER, MSN, YAHOO). http://msgstats.karmus.dk/
No need to type any password, just your email and it's a simple JavaScript using an OSI server to check your status. NO PERSONAL DETAILS ARE STORED! If you doubt it email me at the bottom of the page.
Regards,
Markus 'Karmus' Lund.
Oct 21, 2005 1:06 am
For those who says "I tried it and no1 got into my e-mail" ... well the person probably just checks a few of them - out of the Hundreds or maybe Thousands of people who use it - he'll go throo 10 ... and someone said it before - he can go through your e-mail without you knowing ... and with more and more "money-involved-sites" such as poker sites, paypal, and online stores using your e-mail as a verification maybe to retrieve a password - this becomes very very troublesome. All he has to do is hit one "jackpot" and his stupid site has payed off.
Oct 15, 2005 10:21 am
Yeah, woz lookin 4 that site 2. Gd job i found dis 1 insted. Tnx 4 da warnin. Hav a n1ce d@y 2 u aswell. And remember; he hoo laffs 1st spills his drink. LOL.
Oct 14, 2005 9:22 am
Hey bro thanx ive seen other like this bull right here caught a major virus had to get a new computer so yall trust him
Oct 10, 2005 5:43 am
I think the site is cool because we can see who blocked us on msn and I don't believe this is a hacker site or something like that.
Sep 21, 2005 12:23 am
Very frightening - I was thinking of clicking on the link too - but thought better of it and did a search first - thankfully I ended up here!!!
Sep 6, 2005 5:43 pm
One of my friends has this as their screen name, so I thought to investigate first before I tried it out. I found this. I actually got a slightly different web address, hers was "http://msn.41m.com". But that's no matter.
If you gave them your information, my suggestion would be to change your password right afterwards. That way your login information isn't the same. If I had a secondary computer that I didn't care about, I'd make up a new name just to see if I could track down what is going on there, but I don't.
Good luck anyone whose given their information out!
Aug 27, 2005 5:50 am
Can you uninstall it? I would remove MSN, and then get a latest copy of a virus checker and an adware/spyware program and give your system a good check.
I believe Avast Antivirus do a free virus scanner, and then there is AdAware and Spybot Search & Destroy to get rid of everything else.
Hopefully that will clear the problem. Might also be wise to change your password after all this!
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