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#11
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RPCA Newsgroup A Heads up
On 12/07/2012 4:45 PM, EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:
Cheryl wrote: On 2012-07-12 1:14 PM, Matthew wrote: Snip tale This is certainly a scam. I got a couple of these - one, a year or so ago almost word for word the same supposedly from an aquaintance who was actually out of the country at the time, so some people in our circle panicked a bit, although I think no one sent money. All it means is that someone's managed to fake an email from Winnie. One of the ones I got was actually a bit funny, when you stopped to think about it - this person was supposedly in dire straits and absolutely penniless and without ID, but could still send emails and make arrangements to receive money... W-e-l-l--- there ARE "internet cafes" and Western Union, but why would anyone but family or a really intimate friend be likely to lend money in such circumstances? (Also, that's one reason developed countries maintain embassies - to assist citizens who have that kind of misfortune.) But Internet cafes and Western Union tend to want payment or ID or both from the 'penniless' person! I suppose you could make an international collect call, but you still have the problem of being able to identify yourself to get the money, and of course you can't get on a plane these days without at ticket AND ID! Getting repatriated as a distressed citizen isn't all that easy either, especially if you're not near an Embassy, but naturally a real victim would be dealing with the local police, the Embassy (if they're in a capital city with one - I think this one wasn't) their insurance, their immediate family, etc. And I must admit that although one of my first thoughts when I got that one purportedly from a friend who was in the country although not the city named, was 'Why on earth would she email ME? We've always been friendly, but she's got lots of friends and relatives who are much closer to her and most of them probably have more money than I do'. And then I thought, it's in good English, but doesn't really sound like her... So I wasn't at risk of sending money to a crook, and since a lot of the addresses that had been stolen were for people in a smallish group, it was easy to get word out that it must be a scam, and then word directly from our friend, horrified that someone had broken into her email account. -- Cheryl |
#12
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RPCA Newsgroup A Heads up
On Thu, 12 Jul 2012 11:44:59 -0400, "Matthew"
wrote: Hoptis sent me an email telling me that she got an email from one of our Posters named Winne; which I have not seen in a long time, asking for money. Hoptis newsgroups on her internet server are acting funny so she ased me to post this asap. Here is the email IF this is true I am sorry but Winnie and Hoptis are not close enough friends to ask for money and she has not had any contact with Winnie since last xmas. This is what was sent to hoptis at 11pm last night Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:25:21 -0700 From: I REMOVED THE EMAIL FOR PRIVACY JUST IN CASE Subject: Hi To: Hoptis I really hope this gets to you in time, I was robbed during my trip to Swansea, Wales. All my belongings including mobile phone and credit card were all stolen. I asked my bank to cancel my cards and place hold on my account to avoid unauthorized access. I need your help flying back home. Am cash strapped at the moment. I've made contact with my bank but the best they could do was to send me a new card in the mail which will take 3-5 working days to arrive here. I need you to lend me some money to sort my self out of this predicament, I will pay back once I make it out of Wales. Western union is the fastest option to wire funds to me, let me know if you can help me with the funds i need so that i can send you the details you will need when sending the funds. I await your response. Winnie This a fairly old and fairly well known scam. Somebody's E-mail gets hacked, and this E-mail is sent to everyone. Sending money via Western Union pretty much MEANS you are getting scammed. People often request Western Union payment on craigslist.org, and it's ALWAYS a scam. Don't send money via Western Union = don't get scammed. |
#13
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RPCA Newsgroup A Heads up
Cheryl wrote: On 12/07/2012 4:45 PM, EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote: W-e-l-l--- there ARE "internet cafes" and Western Union, but why would anyone but family or a really intimate friend be likely to lend money in such circumstances? (Also, that's one reason developed countries maintain embassies - to assist citizens who have that kind of misfortune.) But Internet cafes and Western Union tend to want payment or ID or both from the 'penniless' person! I suppose you could make an international collect call, but you still have the problem of being able to identify yourself to get the money, and of course you can't get on a plane these days without at ticket AND ID! I've never used an internet cafe - I thought all you needed was small change for coffee (or whatever they sell). I was suggesting a collect telegram/call to your intended lender, asking them to wire funds. (Presumably, if they know you well enough to lend you money, you'd have no problems identifying yourself.) Getting repatriated as a distressed citizen isn't all that easy either, especially if you're not near an Embassy, but naturally a real victim would be dealing with the local police, ....who would put you in touch with your embassy (or consulate), right? And I must admit that although one of my first thoughts when I got that one purportedly from a friend who was in the country although not the city named, was 'Why on earth would she email ME? We've always been friendly, but she's got lots of friends and relatives who are much closer to her and most of them probably have more money than I do'. Exactly! A bit better thought out, but on a par with those E-mails from "sweepstakes" you never entered, informing you that you've just won untold millions; or people you've never heard of, offering to share large sums of money for your illegal assistance in getting it out of their country. |
#14
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RPCA Newsgroup A Heads up
trubble wrote: Don't send money via Western Union = don't get scammed. Well, actually it's a perfectly legitimate means of transferring money, but only if you are sure where you are sending it, and who the recipient is. |
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