Scam email saying friend has been mugged abroad and needs funds

[grasscarp]

Just got an email from a friend saying he and his wife are in Spain and he has been mugged. Needs funds to settle hotel bill. Lots about this email did not add up, and from a very literate person this would not have been his style of a genuine request. Just googled this type of email and found it is a common scam. My email did not give any details of where to send the money to, but is an elaborate scam as it uses a husband and wife first name which is not apparent from their email address and sent it to me who is a real friend. Watch out!

[chi-chi66]

thanks for that grasscarp......will keep a watch for that.

[rowanwitch]

I'm ok got no friends

[Kiki-frog]

Yes, I had this one. Unfortunately it was far more plausible in my case and I foolishly fell for it and replied to it. They aren't actually after money, but they are after your address book. What happened was about six months later my entire inbox vanished one morning and at the same time I got a number of phone calls asking if I was ok, as it seems I had been mugged in Paris and wanted money!

The people who harvest your contact details sell them on to potential fraudsters, so your contacts then start getting emails offering Viagra, sexy Russian girlfriends, Rolex watches, etc, etc. They also then send similar 'I've just been mugged' emails to all your contacts.

The important thing is not to reply to the email at all. That's how they can get into your account.

[grasscarp]

Oh dear Kiki that is awful!

[Kiki-frog]

Thanks, grasscarp, it's more of a bloomin nuisance than anything else. All I did was email back saying 'If you're who you say you are, then phone me and reverse the charges.' No response of course.

Thinking about it, it probably was an attempt to get money as well, as I seem to remember something about wire transfer details. But anyway, I'm older and wiser now!

[DTCwordfan]

Really, and this devalues e-mail even further for what would happen if the case really did happen and friends needed assistance? Sorry to hear of your e-mugging, kiki and what a pain in the tush to sort out....but thanks for the warning, grasscarp.

[ummmm]

Surely 'real' friends would phone.

[grasscarp]

I have to send 1850 (does not say what currency) via Western Union to friends name at address Location:Calle de Atocha, 7, 28012 Madrid, Spain
Very expensive trip to Madrid methinks. Have to wait and see now if they have nabbed my address book as I did same as you - said phone me so I could see if it was genuine. Got reply back that the hotel will not let them have access to any facilities until the bill is paid and they are in the local library waiting for me to send a Western Union reference number!

[EvianBaby]

Or you would try and call them...

[Kiki-frog]

Eeeek! grasscarp, I suggest you email everyone in your address book right now and let them all know to ignore any emails about you being mugged. (Unless they are inland revenue, exes, new partners of exes, in which case I think negligence is fully justifiable.)

[grasscarp]

If they got the whole of my personal address book there is hardly anyone, so I could alert them. I am at work so to contact the whole of the very very large company I work for (with addresses all over the world) would not be a good idea. I think from what I have seen they try and personalise it to make you think it is genuine and the people who dont know me would ignore it and those who do know me are the ones who can see me in an unmugged state at my desk. Thank you for thinking of my welfare though Kiki.

[DTCwordfan]

I would let your IT focalpoi know, grasscarp....they should have soem form of firewall to this, it was after all innocent on your part.

[Brinjal]

The world is full of scams. I live in Zimbabwe. One night about 10pm I got a phone call from a young girl saying that she and her mother had just started a carpet cleaning business and had got my name from a client and they mentioned my nieces name. She said that they had a job in my area and if I liked they would come to my house and clean one room for free and if I liked I could get the rest of the house done. Well as it was late and she was mumbling a bit I was irritated and said not interested and don't annoy people late at night. Anyway didn't think anymore about it till I had a visit from the police. One of my friends let these people in on my recommendation and my friend was tied up and robbed. Was just too terrible.

[squarebear]

DT - the IT dept will be able to do very little. They can't block against gullible users.

[zebo]

I keep another email address with no contacts at all as I'd heard of this a couple of years ago but wouldn't want to ignore a genuine call for help. If one of my famiy or friends were in need of help, I think I'd expect them to phone rather than email

[mrs_overall]

I'm safe

I have no friends AND no money :-(