Beware of Fake Gmail Upgrade Emails August 23rd, 2007
Derek Punsalan in the article "Warning! Gmail users beware, fake upgrade emails" cautions Gmail users not to respond to these phishing emails.
Essentially a phishing attack is where a person/group of people send emails to anyone online purporting to be some trusted and well known entity seeking to obtain from the unsuspecting user names, passwords, credit card information in order to obtain some value from the unsuspecting.
Recently Google has introduced a fee for those people wanting larger space than is currently available in a Gmail account (see Gmail No Longer Free). Phishers are purporting to be representatives of Gmail asking you to upgrade using a link within the email. The link of course is a bogus link and should not be used. The phishers will use that information to gain access to your credit card and steal money from you.
The only way to upgrade your Google account is to access your Gmail account, select the option "Settings" and within the TABS across the page click on "Accounts". Near the bottom of that page you are invited to "Upgrade Your Storage". This is the only safe way to add storage space in your Gmail account.
Do not under any circumstances click on a link within an email – it is likely to be a bogus email!