TeeJay Posted May 3, 2008 Report Share Posted May 3, 2008 So I just checked my emails, and was shocked and surprized to see an email from an old friend, with this title: EMERGENCY HELP Not someone I've spoken to in years, so the email itself was somewhat surprizing, but, when I opened it, this was the garbage inside: Hello, I am in a hurry writing this,I had a trip to Nigeria on the visiting the (AFRICAN CULTURE) opening ceremony www.tinapa.com, Unfortunately for me all my money got stolen at the hotel where i lodged from the attack of some armed robbers and since then i have been without any money i am even owing the hotel here, so the hotel telephone service is disconnected,so i have only access to emails,my mobile phone can't work here so i didn't bring it along,I am facing a hard time here because i have no money on me. I am now owning a hotel bill of $750 and they wanted me to pay the bill soon else they will have to seize my bag and hand me over to the Hotel Management., I need this help from you urgently to help me back home, I need you to help me with the hotel bill and i will also need $500 to feed and help myself back home so please can you help me with sum of $1250 to sort out my problems here? I need this help so much and on time because i am in a terrible and tight situation here, I don't even have money to feed myself for a day which means i had been starving so please understand how urgent i needed your help. I will appreciate what so ever you can afford to send me for now and I promise to pay back your money as soon as i return home and I have already spoken to this man because he is the hotel manager that helps people to receive.Below are his information. Name of receiver:Adebiyi Emmanuel Address of receiver: Lagos,Nigeria. Secret Question: What For Secret Answer: Ticket Fee MTCN:???? Please let me have the information below as soon as the money is sent. Name and address of sender: Mtcn/Reference Number: I am looking forward to your positive response. Thank you. J**** I cannot begin to express how angry I am that scamming Nigerians would use someone's email like this to try and con money out of people. I don't think a scam could get much lower than this. I hope they receive their 'just rewards' for their actions. What let me know that it wasn't my friend? Well, dialogue and grammar asside, one would think that a girl stuck in a foreign country, desperate for money, would contact her parents for money first, not someone she hasn't spoken to in years Be warned folks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB Posted May 3, 2008 Report Share Posted May 3, 2008 What strikes me here is that they must first be attacking your computer to get your Email list and if that's the case you have been earmarked for individual attention. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddhead Posted May 3, 2008 Report Share Posted May 3, 2008 Agreed, they are using your computer as a 'zombie'. do you have up date virus protection? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted May 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2008 What strikes me here is that they must first be attacking your computer to get your Email list and if that's the case you have been earmarked for individual attention. Ken I feel almost privelaged I don't think it's anything as organized as that, I've heard that other scams, and even viruses, have been known to go from computer to computer, using different emails on each (picking up a new email relevent to each new recipient), but the same message. I think the really funny thing about it, is that it was someone I hadn't spoken to in years, and, when I actually replied (forwarding the message to them) the address needed adding to my contact list. That's how 'out of date' it was If, on the other hand, I have been earmarked for individual attention, I'll just have to be extra vigilant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted May 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2008 Agreed, they are using your computer as a 'zombie'. do you have up date virus protection? It should be, but I'll run some checks just to be sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornerstone Posted May 4, 2008 Report Share Posted May 4, 2008 I received a similar thing a few months ago. They had used phishing to get the login to the guy's hotmail account - so now they had his real email, his actual name, and his address book. It said he'd been mugged, beaten up and was stuck in hospital unable to pay the bill. The main clues that this wasn't true was that ( a ) he's a big bloke, and ( b ) NHS treatment is free And indeed, a few hours later he sent around an email having to tell everyone that if anyone tries to mug him there's only one guy going to the hospital and it's not him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiohead101 Posted May 4, 2008 Report Share Posted May 4, 2008 The main clues that this wasn't true was that ( a ) he's a big bloke, and ( b ) NHS treatment is free If by "free" you mean taxed through your teeth, then yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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