AGO tells public to beware of email scams

The Office of the Attorney General is warning the public against email scams. Its civil division chief Gil Birnbrich said a government employee recently received the following email, which was sent from the email account of an acquaintance. The message, however, was not written by the acquaintance. The email reads:

How are you, I hope all is well with you?, I feel very ashamed reaching you this way and also very sorry for not informing you about my trip to United Kingdom to complete a project and spend my vacation, I am presently in Manchester City and am having a great difficulties to survive this trip because I was attacked at a gun point, Though I wasn’t hurt because I complied immediately to their demand, but my mobile phone and luggage were stolen including my wallet, diary and some vital document are lost in the robbery attack. presently I am sending this email from the city library because the hotel disconnect the internet access in my room pending when i make payment.

Meanwhile, I have also thought it expedient for me to confide this in you and I will be glad to have it confidential between us. I’m physically ok and fine but I’m urgently in need of some money to complete my major aim of being here and to settle my bills till my departure here. I will be glad if you can assist me with a loan of 2,300 GBP ($3,700 USD) or any amount you can afford and I promise to refund you with upon my arrival back home. let me know if you can be of help and I will email you the details you will need to send the money.

I await your reply immediately so I can email you the easiest way and details to send the money. Thank you so much.
[/I] Birnbrich said this appears to be a variant of a known scam. He said what likely happened is that a scammer guessed the acquaintance’s email password (or was given the password through trickery) and gained access to the acquaintance’s email account. From there, the scammer was able to send messages from this account to the acquaintance’s contacts.

The scammer then sent this fake “cry for help.” Birnbrich said this scam utilizes the common fear of being far from home without money.

He added that the scammer is counting on the fact that recipients of the email will reply to the email (incorrectly thinking they are speaking to a friend) and arrange to send money via wire transfer.

“If you receive a similar email, do not reply to the email, as it appears the scammer changes the email password and the account’s rightful owner can no longer gain access. Instead, contact the acquaintance by phone and inform him or her that the account has been hacked. Do not send money, as it will not be recovered,” said Birnbrich. [I](AGO)[/I]