We have received a number of reports of e-mails being received that appear to have been sent from a friend that is in need of some help. The sender of the e-mail claims to be out of the country and is unable to gain access to money for one reason or another, and so need your help.
The way it works is you receive an email that originates from the real email address of a real friend of yours with “Urgent”, “Emergency” or “Request” in the subject line.
However, your friends e-mail account has actually been hacked!
Here is are a sample of the types of emails that are doing the rounds:
Hello,
Sorry to bother you with this but i had a sudden trip out of the country to Belgium. Am here to see my ill cousin she is suffering from Kidney disease and must undergo Kidney transplant to save her life. Kidney transplant is very expensive here, so i want to transfer her back home to have the surgery implemented. I really need to take care of this now but my credit card can’t work here. I traveled with little money due to the short time I had to prepare for this trip and never expected things to be the way it is right now. I need a loan of 2,000 Pounds from you and I’ll reimburse you at my return. I will really appreciate whatever amount you can come up with,if not all get back to me. I’ll advise on how to transfer it.
Thanks
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Hello,
How are you doing ? hope all is well with you and family,i am sorry that i didn’t inform you about my traveling to England for a Conference.I need your urgent help, I misplaced my wallet on my way to the hotel where my money and credit cards are kept. I urgently need a loan of $3,400 from you to sort-out my hotel bills and get myself back home.
I will appreciate whatever you can afford and i’ll pay you back as soon as i return. Please help send the money to me via Western Union Money Transfer with my details below
Name :
Address:
Kindly help me to send it soon and let me know the reference numbers(MTCN) with the details of the transfer.
Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
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Hope you get this on time, Sorry I didn’t inform you about my trip to Spain for a program, and am having some difficulties here because i was robbed and cash and some other valuables, Presently my passport and my things are been held down by the hotel management pending when i make payment.
I need you to help me with a loan of 2550 Euros to pay my hotel bills and to get myself back home. I’ve been to the embassy and Police, but they are not responding to the matter effectively, I will appreciate whatever you can afford to assist me with, I will return the money back to you as soon as i return,let me know if you can be of any help? ASAP. I don’t have a phone where i can be reached. I am so confused right now.
If you are worried about a friend being stranded abroad, first of all try to check by phone to see if they left the country in the first place!
If your friend is abroad, remember all foreign countries host embassies and consulates of other countries that will help travelers who are stranded abroad. Every Western country has not only an American embassy but often other consulates around the country, and the staff will help replace a passport or even fly someone home in an emergency.
Try to only contact your friend by phone, rather than by email, because if her email inbox has been compromised you can’t be sure that your email is actually reaching your friend.
