Is This Scam a New One?

Several days ago we opened our e-mail to find an urgent message from a friend -- a business owner in Nevada City. It was sent at 1 a.m., I noted, and seemed hastily typed. The gist was that he was in London with his family and had been robbed of everything at gunpoint. He needed to pay the hotel bill and buy another set of tickets home. He said he would pay the money back as soon as he returned, and this person is as honest and forthright as they come.

The same message was also in my husband's e-mail. We discussed it and while he seemed wary, I suggested we offer to put the bill or the tickets on a credit card for him. I emailed that offer and we set out to walk the dog. When we returned, I  checked, but there was no  e-mail answer. That didn't seem strange to me, though, because I figured he sent the message to his whole address book. This couple knows about a zillion people and I figured lots stepped up to help.

My husband still had questions and just felt something was "off." Much later that same day when I logged into Facebook there was a warning about this e-mail, saying it WAS NOT from our mutual friend and was, instead, a scam.

Boy, did I feel dumb! Later I talked with another business owner who received the same e-mail, and she said another was sent hours later saying "This is not a scam." We didn't receive that one, probably because of my offer to put the hotel on a credit card.

I'm thinking the scam was to get someone to wire money; which of course they would never see again! And the business owner was out of town, but in the Bay Area, not London, so calls to the house would be unanswered.

Knowing what I know now, I would be much more circumspect of these type of e-mails! But somehow this scammer hacked into our friend's email address book and sent the message -- signed with his name -- to who knows how many people.

Anybody else experiencing these scams? How does the hacker do it? And, more importantly, don't be foolish like I almost was!

Comments

[Kymry]

There are so many scams now you have to be more cautious than ever about everything. Scammers here were duplicating legitimate rental ads on Craigslist, the description, the photos, and everything but changing the price to a too good to be true number so they get lots of inquiries. Then they tell the potential renters they are a doctor on a huminitarian assignment in some third world place & ask them to wire their rental application & fee. Once that is done & they approve them they ask them to wire first months rent & security deposit to them. Then they say ooops we accidently have the keys here with us so they instruct the renter to hire a locksmith to get them into the house so they can move in & they can deduct the cost of the locksmith from next months rent. Lots of people have fell for it and some actually moved into the house only for the real landlord to come along later to show it to a real renter and find someone else had moved in. Can you imagine?

[Mona Matthias]

Whew! Glad you escaped that one! There are more and more scams out there. I wonder if our gov fell for a big one and that's why our state is in such a bad state now. "Dear Caleeeefornia, This is your good frend Flaheeeeeeeda. We had a hurrycane last Decambra. Need dollas now. Please wire to PO box in Zimbabwe or send your credt card # to us. We real. Honest.Check scops.com for reality check. Love, your good frend Flaheeeeeeeeeda."