- Joined
- Nov 3, 2009
- Messages
- 7,589
I got two e-mails from two different people I knew. The pattern is so similar that it becomes concerning.
The first one came from a person who was, mildly saying, hapless. It stated that he and his family were stuck in (a European country) and needed 900 Euro to get back. He promised to fully reimburse me on getting back, say, on Friday (??). An address where to mail the check to was obligingly provided.
Me and my friends laughed at it - knowining the guy, we thought it would be just his style to try to pull such a scam!
But today I got an email from a very respectable person. I do not know her personally, let us say, semi-professionally or rather, I considered using her services (she runs a very reputable business). Anyhow...
She has cancer and has not told anyone about it. She is secretly undergoing treatment in Spain (why Spain? With best doctors in the US and an excellent center here?). She needs $ 2000.00 to finish her treatment and she'll reimburse me as soon as she gets back to the country (on Saturday). She asks me not to tell anyone about it and she is writing to me since she knows me as a warm-hearted person.
I called a friend of mine; he knows her way better than I do. (Although not personally either). He was very surprized. He felt that her e-mail account might have been hijacked and it was a scam.
So I might have made a mistake. I sent her an e-mail back asking for the cell phone to so that I and another person knowing her well could verify her identity.
Needless to say, no answer.
Did I put myself at risk by responding to the e-mail? Can my account now be penetrated? Has anyone run into such a scam recently?
The first one came from a person who was, mildly saying, hapless. It stated that he and his family were stuck in (a European country) and needed 900 Euro to get back. He promised to fully reimburse me on getting back, say, on Friday (??). An address where to mail the check to was obligingly provided.
Me and my friends laughed at it - knowining the guy, we thought it would be just his style to try to pull such a scam!
But today I got an email from a very respectable person. I do not know her personally, let us say, semi-professionally or rather, I considered using her services (she runs a very reputable business). Anyhow...
She has cancer and has not told anyone about it. She is secretly undergoing treatment in Spain (why Spain? With best doctors in the US and an excellent center here?). She needs $ 2000.00 to finish her treatment and she'll reimburse me as soon as she gets back to the country (on Saturday). She asks me not to tell anyone about it and she is writing to me since she knows me as a warm-hearted person.
I called a friend of mine; he knows her way better than I do. (Although not personally either). He was very surprized. He felt that her e-mail account might have been hijacked and it was a scam.
So I might have made a mistake. I sent her an e-mail back asking for the cell phone to so that I and another person knowing her well could verify her identity.
Needless to say, no answer.
Did I put myself at risk by responding to the e-mail? Can my account now be penetrated? Has anyone run into such a scam recently?
300x240.png)