General Chat

A couple of years ago, I was in contact with someone in Australia re geneology. He is a person that I would say is in his senior years, very articulate, and has a comprehensive tree, that he has obviously had to research intensively.
Yesterday I received two e-mails in his name and e-mail address, that made me suspicious. Both were identical, and about twenty minutes apart.
It stated that he was sorry that he had not informed me that he had come to England for a seminar,had lost his wallet and would I let him have $2200 to pay his bill, and he would pay me back as soonest.
Well, anyone asking me for money immediatelly makes me suspicious. But why would he have had to inform me that he had come to this country for a seminar. We aren't that close, not even related in any way. Some of the spelling and terminology were abit iffy also. But he asked for the money in dollars, which I know is the currency in Australia, but he is English and knows our currency is in sterling.
Yes I think it is a fraud, but how can someone get another persons e-mail address, and, how would I be able to alert the genuine person of what has happened.
Needless to say, I did not respond, but would someone be kind enough to tell me how someone can steel someones e-mail address
Julia in Derbyshire

I can't answer that Julia but how strange. You do well to ignore it. I wonder if he is part of a group of genealogists and one of the group is posing as him. I'm also wondering if he's sent this email to anyone else. No way of knowing I guess.

just ignore them hun
let them work for their money like others have to do

or ask them for a admin fee of 5000 dollars


just out of intrest his embassy
would lend him the money if he is really stuck

Yes this is a common phishing scam
It happened to a guy here in NZ last week(it was on the news)
Fortunately the friend who waas supposed to be overseas and lost his wallet was in the office next door.
just delete it

sorry in reply to your question his computer has been compromised by a virus which has taken address from his address book.
I would try and email him and let him know

Thank you all for your positive and quick replies.
Julia in Derbyshire

Exactly the same thing happened to Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, just a few weeks ago.

I have just received another e-mail from this person, saying exactley the same thing, and exactly 24 hours to the minute after yesterday's. Very odd, and I have just seen something on the news, re a similar e-mail wanting money and purporting to be from David Milliband.
Julia in Derbyshire

Running Bear - I do not understand your reply
Julia in Derbyshire

Hi Julia, it looks like who ever hijacked yor friends e-mail account. Is sending these out, using some sort of automated e-mailing program.

You could try informing your friend of this. But its most likely that any e-mail you try to send him, will be intercepted by the hijacked account.

What ever you do DO NOT send any money. Also I would block his e-mail addy, so that you don't receive any more of these.

Steve
x

Thanks for your reply Stevie. Firstly, this person, the real one, is not a friend just someone I contacted a couple of years ago for some reneology info.. And how do I go about blocking their e-mail addy
Many thanks
Julia in Derbyshire

Hi Julia, apologies for delay in replying.

If your using hotmail, to block addy - right click on the e-mail. Then from the list - click on Junk.

This will block all further e-mails from that person.

If your friend resolves his e-mail problem. You can undo the block by;

In the Junk box - right click on the e-mail. Then from the list - click on Not Junk.

Steve
x

Thanks Stevie and Berona for your advice
Julia in Derbyshire

Berona- many thanks for this kind thought. This morning there was an e-mail, from whom I can only think is the real person, saying please do NOT send money - my computer has been hacked into. Apart from myself, he had sent this message to about thirty other people, so I hope none of them was foolish enough to send any to the hoaxer.
Again many thanks for the kind offer
Julia in Derbyshire

Julia, you might just remind him - and may I remind everyone else here -

Never ever ever send anyone emails with a list of other recipients.

That is what the BCC (blind copy) function is for.

If you want to send the same mail to a list of people, send it to yourself and BCC it to everyone else.

That way, everyone gets their own copy, and no one gets the email addresses of anyone else you send it to.

When I correspond with someone, I most definitely am not giving my consent for them to send out my email address (possibly with my name attached to it, if that is how they have it in their address book) to anyone else, let alone a gaggle of complete strangers.

If the person who receives the email with the list of addresses forwards it on to another list ... well, imagine how many hundreds of people have your info in no time. And if anyone adds you to an address book ...

Use the BCC function.

Also - personally, I don't maintain address books, largely for this reason. I just find a message from the person I want to email, and reply to it.

Of course, I don't send out bulk mails. ;)