Carterton Man gets Victimized with Scam E-mail

A man named Lloyd Davy from Carterton (New Zealand) became disturbed when a phishing e-mail scam victimized him, so published Times-age.co.nz dated November 8, 2011.

Actually, a computer-hacker had sent fake e-mails to Davy's relatives and friends telling them that he was stranded while touring the Philippines, therefore needed cash, urgently, Davy reports.

Consequently, Davy started getting anxious calls from his family/friends, following the hacker's e-mail describing different situations such as Davy encountered an accident and so required money.

Davy stated that a friend sent the e-mail (supposedly from Davy) back to him, which seemed to be from his Xtra e-mail id.

The e-mail stated that Davy currently required his friend's assistance for sorting out the mess confronting him for which he required a loan that he'd surely refund once he returned home. Davy then seemed to request the e-mail recipient to answer back so he could tell him the way the money should be sent over.

Here, Alastair Stewart Spokesman from Scamwatch stated that the security watchdog routinely got reports about e-mail fraudsters acquiring unauthorized admission into people's private accounts and sending tricky e-mails from them to the latter's family/friends. Times-age.co.nz published this.

Unfortunately according to security researchers, Davy had been victimized with the 'Stranded Traveler's Scam' wherein a fraudster hijacks the victim's e-mail account and sends a message to the latter's contacts telling that he (the victim) is stuck somewhere abroad like in the Philippines in Davy's instance. In a different version, the e-mail sender might assert that thieves have stolen his credit cards and that his passport is with the hotel where he's staying that'll return it only when he pays all the pending bills. In both cases, the e-mail sender requests its reader to wire him cash.

However, for not getting victimized with such scams, security experts highlight a few suggestions like checking by directly contacting the friend apparently the e-mail sender, to find out if he's really anywhere abroad. Moreover, incase the person is in a foreign country then what problems he encountered with that country's host consulate/embassy in providing help to a stranded individual like him.

Related article: Creator of Japanese P2P Virus Pleaded Guilty

» SPAMfighter News - 11/21/2011