Be warned Adwords Account holders: New email in circulation

[anablake]

Thanks Debbie. Always better to be safe than sorry!

[incrediblehelp]

A simple visit at the Google AdWords blog confirms this email authenticity:

http://adwords.blogspot.com/2006/05/...ttlement.html\

I recommend that you carefully review the information in the email and visit the site provided by the administration firm: www.clicksettlement.com. On the site, you will find links to the official settlement notice and settlement FAQs, both of which are in .PDF format. To view these documents, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader.

[Jabber_uk]

For me living in the UK and not knowing about the lawsuit in the first place the things that got me concerned when I recieved the email were:

1. "Important Legal Notice Regarding Your Google AdWords Account". Thats the kind of 'talk' I get from phishers.

2. clicksettlement@xmr3.com. Who the hell is this? The whole email doesn't appear (to me) to come from a valid source (such as Google)

3. www.clicksettlement.com - again, no relationship (apparently with Google)

4. http://pull.xmr3.com/p/14275-8DE5/70...ement.com.html is the hover over on the link which says it is clicksettlement.com and therefore ones first reaction might be to consider the whole thing as spam.

5. "you are a class member in a class-action lawsuit" which sounds kinda serious and starts the reader worrying immediately which quickly turns the reader into defensive mode "what the hell is this? phishin?"

Having said all that, it does appear to be quite genuine and that the courts have used Googles Adwords database of customers to email the settlement information.

There is a major criticism on the content and nature of the email though.

EDIT:

The email also contained this:

裁判所命令による本通知は、皆様の法的権利に関係する可能性がありますので、必ずお読みください。2002 年1月1日から現在までの間に、グーグル社より提供されたオンライン広告をご利用いただいた方は、アーカン サス州ミラー郡巡回裁判所における集団訴訟の原告団の一員となります。本通知は、同裁判所の原告団認定、申 し立て請求の性質、原告団参加上の権利または参加しない権利、原告団、和解案、ならびに和解契約に基く広告 料の控除の請求方法などについて通知するものです。

添付した通知の日本語版が必要な方は、次のアドレスまで電子メールをお送りください。

which is another reason why I went into defensive mode.

[dharrison]

Exactly Jabber. If it was from clicksettlement why didn't the domain names say this.

As for the bizarre URL, websites that use tracking software often tend to use a similar URL to record visitor activity. But it certainly doesn't begin with 'pull'.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with these suspicions out today.

I never knew about the square text, tho. Was that down the bottom of the page? On my one it was Mandarin or Japanese text. Perhaps your machine can't read this type of text. Who knows.

Oh whaddya know? I have just received an EBay phishing mail. Suddenly I feel all nostalgic..

[incrediblehelp]

I really dont know what the confusion is. One real email came out and now phising emails looking close to exactly the same as the original email are now coming out.

[fctoma]

I've been with Adwords since they started. I haven't received anything in my normal or spam email bays... nothing!

[dharrison]

Now I am looking at this on my main PC (not my laptop) I can see Jabber_uk that the text you were referring to was one of the different languages I mentioned at the start of this thread.

I wondered what an earth you meant because all I could see was squares.

Time for me to upgrade my laptop methinks (oops).

[TrafficProducer]

Two URL's

I've not tried both, but DNS nubmers like this are quite often as good as saying, "Please send me all your cash, SUCKERS".

http://www.clicksettlement.com/pdf/gogl1not_eng.pdf

http://209.237.234.46/pdf/gogl1not_eng.pdf

[Jabber_uk]

Debbie - I guess I didn't install the language pack like you said.

[SportsFan]

I wonder if Google agreed (or even instigated) the e-mail notification approach in the hopes that 99% of the recipients would believe that the whole thing was fake.