Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Ecommerce Hosting & Discussion : Skrill (Moneybookers) sold my email address, or got it stolen

[Harzem]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to warn you about an email I just received. I signed up with Skrill (moneybookers) less than a month ago. I used a special email address, using my personal domain name and a unique email identifier.

Also, during registration I misspelled my last name, and never bothered to contact them about it, at least not yet. That's important for the rest of this post.

Half an ago, I received a Spam, specifically a Casino spam that tells me I can play poker and start with a coupon that will give me free dollars if I sign up. All links included in the email are uniquely coded (as most spammers do) to reveal my email address if I click on them. There is also a report spam link at the bottom, that links to the exact same address, to reveal my email address.

It's a pretty colorful casino spam email, with a beautiful girl, and some "download now" buttons.

The email title was "★Hi there Harzem <my misspelled lastname>. You have won a Free $21 Chip! ★", and of course sent to my unique Skrill email address. No way on earth they will guess my misspelling and my email address correctly in a single email.

So, just for heads up. If you are interested in getting more spam, you can always sign up with skrill!

[madchas]

I don't see how that proves Moneybookers had anything to do with your email getting spam.

I have a couple of uncommon emails, on an uncommon domain, that aren't used for any service, aren't listed anywhere and they get spam.

[Harzem]

This is not an uncommon or rarely used email address. It was an email address dedicated to my skrill account, and the email had my last name misspelled exactly as I misspelled it in my credit card information on Skrill. I have absolute zero doubt that my misspelled name was taken from their database, along with my unique email address dedicated to skrill.

[jj@24khost]

If Harzem is saying this i believe he has checked his information quite tightley

[jj@24khost]

Global Live Casino Partners Launches with Skrill

Wonder if this helps

TOS AT SKRILL
4. When and to whom we disclose your information
4.1. We may disclose all or part of your information to

our affiliates for operational reasons
service providers that we use to provide services to you
card associations and their members and members’ agents and service providers
credit reference agencies and ID verification agencies
debt collection agencies for the purposes of collecting outstanding balances owed to us or any other debt owed to us
fraud prevention and detection agencies
selected marketing agencies or other third parties that use your information for marketing purposes, unless you have opted out of receiving communications from such third parties (see next section) or if the laws of the state in which you reside prevents us from doing so
as otherwise permitted or required by law.

4.2. If you do not want us to share your information with selected marketing agencies or other third parties for marketing purposes you may opt out of those disclosures at any time by checking the appropriate box in your User Profile which you can access on our website or by contacting Customer Services.

[madchas]

Originally Posted by Harzem

This is not an uncommon or rarely used email address. It was an email address dedicated to my skrill account, and the email had my last name misspelled exactly as I misspelled it in my credit card information on Skrill. I have absolute zero doubt that my misspelled name was taken from their database, along with my unique email address dedicated to skrill.

Did you opt out of their marketing?

4. When and to whom we disclose your information

4.1. We may disclose all or part of your information to

selected marketing agencies or other third parties that use your information for marketing purposes, unless you have opted out of receiving communications from such third parties (see next section) or if the laws of the state in which you reside prevents us from doing so

4.2. If you do not want us to share your information with selected marketing agencies or other third parties for marketing purposes you may opt out of those disclosures at any time by checking the appropriate box in your User Profile which you can access on our website or by contacting Customer Services.

http://www.moneybookers.com/app/help.pl?s=privacy

[Harzem]

Very cool, they opt-in me for Casino spam automatically, and ask me to opt out if I'm not interested.

Originally Posted by madchas

Did you opt out of their marketing?

I guess I'll opt out of Skrill altogether. We had a nice month together. They may have it in their TOS, but they lose customers if they start sending Casino spam.

[jj@24khost]

Yes hope that answers your question though.

[rds100]

I wonder what VISA and Mastercard have to say about this - AFAIK they forbid processing online gambling related payments.

[Harzem]

Some more details about the spam I got:

- Links are in shape of
http://<randomjunk>.winpalace.info/link0.php

- The email has a "Report Spam" link at the bottom (very convincing), which links to:
http://reportspam.eu/?email=<my@email>
And if you think http://reportspam.eu/ is a legitimate site, try visiting it. That link doesn't even mention which email campaign this was sent for, it only includes my email address. What type of spam report is it?

And the email is also very colorful with images of ladies, dollar signs, 777 machines, download now buttons for god know what software. And it says "collect the fastest 21 bucks you ever made right now!" in italics and bold. The only thing missing is viagra and cialis prices.

If this is their idea of "commercial partner offers", I'm out of Skrill.

[madchas]

This is a trap....

Originally Posted by Harzem

The email has a "Report Spam" link at the bottom (very convincing), which links to:
http://reportspam.eu/?email=<my@email>
And if you think http://reportspam.eu/ is a legitimate site, try visiting it. That link doesn't even mention which email campaign this was sent for, it only includes my email address. What type of spam report is it?

People click on these all the time...those and the unsubscribe links, but it's about the worst thing you can do.

If you unsubscribe or report it, they will take you off that list, but they put you on another one as an "active verified email address".

Now you get put on more email lists and one of those email databases that gets sold to other email marketers.

[Harzem]

Yes it is a trap, my point exactly. If Skrill is allowing these to be sent, I don't care what they write in their ToS. This is blatant spam.

[bossix]

Like Harzem I have also set up a dedicated e-mail address for Skrill and to my huge disappointment, I'm receiving the worst kind of spam (casino etc with temporary urls) with my whole name + the e-mail address I entered.

Am I really to trust these guys with my commerce? I don't think so!

Are we the only ones?

I have logged into my account and nowhere did I find the text stated by one of the members as ToS. Have they since removed the text or what's going on??

[writespeak]

It happened to me too but starting quite a while ago. I created an email address dedicated to moneybookers, and I haven't used that account for several years. I get spam at that address, most or all to do with casinos.

Thanks for the reminder about it. I've now disabled that address and added a new email address that's also specific to moneybookers. We'll see what happens now.

[bossix]

Thanks for your reply, writespeak.

I really want to stress that as harzem stated originally, this is either a case of Skrill / Moneybookers selling e-mail addresses on purpose to dubious partners or having been hacked. As they are bank of sorts (I have their debit card...), I'm wondering which is really worse? Neither option boosts their trustworthiness.

Have anyone of you contacted Moneybookers and asked about this sort of UCE? I'll do that now as I think this needs clearing up.