“Mugging” email is a scam warn financial cops
(CNS): While police say they have had no reports of individuals falling for the latest email scam, officers from the RCIPS Financial Crime Unit (FCU) are warning the public not to give out their banking information after an e-mail from a man claiming to be a mugging victim began circulating on the islands. Police said that in this latest electronic con the sender states that he is on holiday abroad and has been mugged and asks for money to help him get home. The unsolicited e-mail asks the recipient to respond if they can help and advises he will get back to them with details of how to transfer the cash.
“This is a scam, please do not make contact with the sender of the e-mail and do not, at any time, give out any personal or banking details over e-mail,” Detective Inspector Rudolph Gordon from the RCIPS FCU said.
If you have any concerns about e-mail communication then please contact the Financial Crime Unit on 949-8797.
Category: Local News
What else is it that our "Financial Police" do, except send out these ridiculous warnings about ridiculous scams?
Do they also ever prosecute anyone?…for anything?…and publisize it?…
Oh pants, I wonder if they could help me get back all the money I have sent in the last 18 months to help my friends who have been mugged in Nairobi, London and Kabul?
I received one of these from my brother on Wednesday morning. It came from his email address and at first sight, looked genuine. I knew immediately that it was a scam, however, because it was written in a way that made it obvious that the writer did not have English as a first language. Whoever sent it must have access to my brother’s password.
The first sentence read, "We made a trip to Limassol,Cyprus unannounced some days back, …"
That is not normal use of English. He went on to say that, "It was a bitter experience." Really? I would think that being robbed at gunpoint was a little worse than ‘bitter’.
He finished by writing that, "I await your prompt response."
That is not the way a brother signs off an email.
There were many other fairly basic mistakes. I replied of course and told my ‘brother’ that I could send him £5000 but he can’t be in that much trouble as he hasn’t yet taken me up on the offer yet.
I also told him that I was surprised that when I had spoken to him on the phone eight hours earlier, he hadn’t mentioned it but he has become very forgetful recently!
You’ve just set yourself up for major spammage. Replying to a spam email identifies a live account which is then sold on to other spammers. Be prepared to abandon the account. Don’t ever reply to spam and if possible, don’t even open them.