Earlier this year I wrote an article for Oakville.com earlier this year on an on-line scam (Another Scam). I remembered it a few minutes ago when I got the same phishing e-mail from an aunt in California, who unfortunately got mugged on an unannounced surprise trip to Manila.
Of course, my aunt is not in Manila… not that I can reach her right now, but seeing as the text is nearly identical to the one I cited in July. Obviously her e-mail account was hijacked, and the scammers are praying on the goodness of all of her contacts. As I state in the article I have heard horror stories of intelligent people being scammed out of thousands of dollars by this scam.
I wrote my aunt an e-mail immediately – after leaving urgent voice mails at her home, office, and mobile – telling her what she had to do:
- Change your e-mail password immediately! (along with all of your other passwords – they will likely have been compromised too).
- Send an e-mail to ALL of your contacts and let them know that you are safe, and to NOT send you money.
- Go to the following site: http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/internet_fraud/internet_fraud. At the bottom there is a section ‘How to Report Crime & Fraud.’ You must report this!!
I do not know if she will get it in time – My aunt is not a very technologically connected woman. On the other hand she is a wonderful woman with a big heart, and I am sure a lot of her friends will be concerned and willing to help. It is because of this that it is so important that I get this message out… tell your friends and family about it, because they could be next.
- On a related note, I am glad that I went to the trouble of changing ALL of my on-line passwords yesterday!
Related articles
- Another Scam and Another Article on Oakville.com: https://garvis.ca/2012/07/15/another-scam-and-another-article-on-oakville-com/
