Keep an eye out for fraudulent emails that masquerade as booking notifications from airlines such as Qatar Airways.
The emails thank you for making a booking and feature the targetted airline’s logo and footer information. Supposedly, clicking the links in the emails opens a website with details about the booking.
But, in fact, the links open a decidedly dodgy pharmacy website that tries to sell you various medications without the need for a doctor’s prescription.
The spammers hope that at least some recipients will remain on the website and buy its products even after they realise that the email is fraudulent and has no connection to the airline it mentions.
And, apparently, the tactic works.
Spammers have repeatedly used faked notification emails from many high profile online companies in recent years.
It is very unwise to buy products from these dodgy online drugstore websites. Because you do not need a prescription, you have no way of knowing if the medication you are buying is the real thing. In reality, it could be some dangerous or useless substitute. The medication may be ineffective or it may interfere with other medications you are using with adverse results.
If you receive one of these spam emails do not click on any of the links in the message. Just hit the delete key.
Screenshot of the emails:
Transcript:
Dear valued customer,
Thank you for booking with [removed]
We have received your booking under reference 5831-84 and are reviewing your payment.Yours sincerely,
Qatar Airways SupportYou can also view the details of this request by following this link:[removed]
* Terms and conditions apply
Importance Notice
After considerable thought and with an ache in my heart, I have decided that the time has come to close down the Hoax-Slayer website.These days, the site does not generate enough revenue to cover expenses, and I do not have the financial resources to sustain it going forward.
Moreover, I now work long hours in a full-time and physically taxing job, so maintaining and managing the website and publishing new material has become difficult for me.
And finally, after 18 years of writing about scams and hoaxes, I feel that it is time for me to take my fingers off the keyboard and focus on other projects and pastimes.
When I first started Hoax-Slayer, I never dreamed that I would still be working on the project all these years later or that it would become such an important part of my life. It's been a fantastic and engaging experience and one that I will always treasure.
I hope that my work over the years has helped to make the Internet a little safer and thwarted the activities of at least a few scammers and malicious pranksters.
A Big Thank You
I would also like to thank all of those wonderful people who have supported the project by sharing information from the site, contributing examples of scams and hoaxes, offering suggestions, donating funds, or helping behind the scenes.I would especially like to thank David White for his tireless contribution to the Hoax-Slayer Facebook Page over many years. David's support has been invaluable, and I can not thank him enough.
Closing Date
Hoax-Slayer will still be around for a few weeks while I wind things down. The site will go offline on May 31, 2021. While I will not be publishing any new posts, you can still access existing material on the site until the date of closure.Thank you, one and all!
Brett Christensen,
Hoax-Slayer
