Got the following email today. I initially thought it was from a friend because the sender's email addr was correct.
Hello
I"m sorry i didn't inform you about my traveling but right now am in a horrible situation in London,United Kingdom. I was mugged at gun point at a Park,all my cash, credit card and my cell phone were stolen in the process. Am sending this message out from a public library to require your financial help in settling my hotel bills and my transport to Heathrow International Airport to catch up my flight. Please reply back immediately you receive this,am so depressed and confused.
I thought it was a scam so I contacted the sender. Yup, it's a scam as you can probably tell by a careful reading. Here's her response:
TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY
A SCAM LETTER WAS SENT OUT THRU MY E-MAIL ADDRESS THIS MORNING STATING I WAS IN LONDON AND MUGGED. THIS IS NOT TRUE AND I AM HERE RIGHT AT HOME. PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THAT PARTICULAR E-MAIL. THANKS TO LOVED ONES THEY NOTIFIED ME RIGHT AWAY.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT AFTER TALKING TO AT&T THIS IS THE 5TH CALL THEY HAVE HAD TODAY ALONE. I SPENT 2 HOURS WITH ATT TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE SCAMMER SOMEHOW GETS INTO YOUR E-MAIL ACCOUNT AND CHANGES ALL THE PASSWORDS. THEN PUTS THERE FORWARDING ADDRESS FOR E-MAILS TO ME TO GO DIRECTLY TO THEM. THEY ALSO CHANGE ALL THE SECURITY QUESTIONS SO WHEN YOU CALL TO REPORT THE PROBLEM YOU ARE UNABLE TO ANSWER THE SECURITY QUESTIONS AND YOUR INTERNET PROVIDER CAN NOT HELP YOU. ALSO THEY DELETED ALL MY CONTACTS SO I COULD NOT NOTIFY THEM. I HOPE I REACHED EVERYONE OF INTEREST BUT I KNOW THERE ARE MANY MORE THAT I DID NOT REACH.
I WAS LUCKY AS I HAVE A BUSINESS ACCOUNT AND THIS RULE DOES NOT APPLY, WHICH THE SCAMMER IS UNAWARE. SO I WAS ABLE TO HAVE THEM CALL ME TO VERIFY ACCESS AND GET PAST SECURITY.
I HAVE REPORTED THE PERSONS E-MAIL ACCOUNT AND PROBLEM TO ATT AND WE HAVE RESET EVERYTHING AND ALL SHOULD BE SECURE.
I ALSO PRINTED OUT THE SCAMMERS E-MAIL AND INFO BEFORE WE DELETED THEM. I WILL PURSUE THIS WITH A POLICE REPORT AS THEY HAVE FRAUDULENTLY USED MY NAME WHEN SIGNING AND IMPERSONATING ME WHICH IS FRAUD.
TO BE SURE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN I WILL BE CHANGING FROM ATT AND WE WILL BE SWITCHING IN THE NEXT WEEK TO COMCAST. I WILL NOTIFY EVERYONE THRU IRON ANGEL E-MAIL OF MY NEW PERSONAL E-MAIL. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MY UNCLE WHO ALSO HAS PACBELL-ATT. I KNOW COMCAST HAS BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST THIS PROBLEM.
LOVE TO ALL AND SORRY FOR THE PROBLEM
Be czreful out there, it's a jungle. You have been warned.
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Topic: Email Scam Alert (Read 496 times)