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Deadly Serious Email Scam...I Almost Fell For It

by Steven Wagenheim
7 replies
  • OFF TOPIC
    • |
This is deadly serious.

It appears that people's Yahoo accounts are getting hacked to the point
where all their personal info, including contacts, is available to the hacker.

I just received an email from a friend of mine telling me she was stranded
in Spain after being mugged and needed $2,470 to get home. It was signed
and everything.

I called Western Union immediately and tried to wire the money but
fortunately for me, they wouldn't approve the transaction.

Well, I was then ready to go to a physical Western Union location. So I
told my daughter and she said to me, "Are you sure it's from her?"

I then thought, no...could her account have been hacked?

So I called her parents and they said no, she's not in Spain.

Folks, everything about this email screamed authentic. I almost was out
$2,470 today.

Please be VERY, VERY, VERY, CAREFUL.

Even if you have to insult a friend to have them PROVE who they are.

Email is NOT proof.

Wow...lesson learned.
  • Profile picture of the author MikeAmbrosio
    Yeah, this is one I almost fell for too. I actually started getting these back in the spring, but it's coming back with a vengeance. My mother in law panicked when she got one of these from one of her friends.

    My, how much money and stress I save my mother in law every year

    Heed the warning from Steven. This is serious.
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  • Profile picture of the author whateverpedia
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Originally Posted by whateverpedia View Post

      They're getting smarter aren't they.

      Luckily I only use my Yahoo addy in exchange for freebies, so no-one I physically know is aware of it.

      Something to watch out for though, thanks for the heads up.
      Smarter? This is downright scary. How can I ever tell if an email I get is
      actually from the person who I think sent it?

      I can't...and THAT scares the hell out of me.
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      • Profile picture of the author Don Schenk
        Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

        Smarter? This is downright scary. How can I ever tell if an email I get is
        actually from the person who I think sent it?

        I can't...and THAT scares the hell out of me.


        You can't.

        Several months ago my wife got one of those "stranded in some country" emails from a friend she had just spoken with by phone. She warned me about it,

        But that cell phone scam is a new one on me.

        I guess we have to suspect everyone.

        I recently listen to an audio recording by a fellow named Don Gates. He was a California Supreme Court judge. While he was still on this planet he had some hilarious stories to tell. He passed away last January at the age of 83.

        At any rate, the day he received a call from the then the governor of California telling him he had just been picked for the supreme court, he (Gates) didn't recognize the governor's voice and thought it was a crank phone call. So while on the phone with the gov he demanded to know who was the &4#@5*%#@5ty#) playing this prank on him. (Complete with all expletives.)

        Obviously the governor didn't take it personally. Gates got the job anyway.

        :-Don
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        • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
          Originally Posted by Don Schenk View Post

          At any rate, the day he received a call from the then the governor of California telling him he had just been picked for the supreme court, he (Gates) didn't recognize the governor's voice and thought it was a crank phone call. So while on the phone with the gov he demanded to know who was the &4#@5*%#@5ty#) playing this prank on him. (Complete with all expletives.)
          And who can forget this one from a son to his dad...

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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    They are working through mobile phones, too, Steve. I called a friend of mine a couple of weeks back and about an hour later I got viagra spam from "her". That is not as drastic, of course, as what you received, but it just fried me that they could hook to stored emails via someone's phone.

    What I wonder is, if there is actually a pickup point for the money - why aren't these people caught more easily. If someone is picking up fraudulent funds from a Western Union it seems like they can be decoyed and picked up on collection - all it would take is an answer that the money will come tomorrow and then have a place to report it so an undercover agent could be waiting right there to haul them in. Instead we have politicians finding ways to use such scams as reasons to monitor and censor.

    The sad part is that even if you shut down the Internet, people with this mentality would still be out there finding new ways to rob people.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author waterotter
    I wonder if this is some-how related to Floyd Fisher's thread re: Spyware Warning?

    http://www.warriorforum.com/off-topi...e-warning.html
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