Just thought I would share this information with everyone on the board. I got an email last night in my regular email from a relative. This email claimed she was in CYPRUS and in need of $3000.00, because of a crisis situation and could I please send her the money and when she got home she would get it back to me and to NOT TELL anyone about this. So what do you think I did? I emailed the relative and gave her this information that someone was using her to scam people. I told her she should immediately notify everyone she was in contact with that she was not out of the country in CYPRUS and to not answer that email. I also ran a scan to completely go thru my computer to see if there was any activity that was suspicious. So everyone take care with this stuff going on and be careful about going to different sites.

thanks for sharing blessings ogama

That is such an old scam. It's amazing that they still do it. And it's amazing that people still fall for it. The sad part it's usually the older people who aren't familiar with the computer and internet. I have to keep on my mom because she'll believe everthing she reads.

Email scams just make me go GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Thanks for letting everyone know.

I wouldn't even think to send money requested in an email even if it had my kids names on it. By the way, I'm getting scam pms here ! The latest one if from Mrs. Joy Gardner wanting to give me millions of dollars to use for good of all. ????

sorry didn't mean to post here. Deleted.

I have also been getting a lot of strange emails from ME to me. using my email address to send me kooky, kinky crap after I was on a site someone had posted here to go to see something and it turned out to be a place I didn't ever wanted to go to. so I have had issues with that for a while. Just everyone be on the lookout that since everyone the world over can see what we write on here that scams will come. Also I think some of us might be targeted for requests for help with fabric ( I am disabled and can't get out type or have no money please help or we are trying to help this organization with quilts can you help?). Have answered some of them and sent stuff and never heard another word back even saying thank you for your generosity in helping me or (whoever)!!! We know we are kindhearted people for the most part but we are starting to get a lot of the sleazy ones trying to pull something on here now.

A lot of these type scams come from facebook where the user's info is comprimised. I happened with my nephew.

If I don't know them I do not respond to any of that kind of stuff.

A couple of months ago my husband got an email...he uses my email address here at home for important things...not his addy at work. It was from our mortgage lender/Chase bank telling him that as of a certain date he would not longer have access to his online account to either make payments or look at it. It had the official Chase logo etc. but there was just something about it I didn't like. So...he called Chase and they said it's a scam...do NOT reply to it at all...not even to tell them to go jump off a bridge...lol. Anyway...the next month came and went and he still had access to the account. A couple of weeks ago I got the same exact email from the same person. Funny thing is...we refinanced our mortgage so it is no longer with Chase.

I'm a member of several candlemaking/soaping boards and just about everyday someone posts email scams they receive...mostly giving them a long story about receiving products that were broken and want them replaced. Most of them delete the emails OR request that the package be returned to them with the receipt so they can inspect it. Of course they never hear another word from them.

Too many people with too much time on their hands that they can sit around and think up this stuff.

I have received several of those type of messages. Plus, the ones from UPS saying you have a package ( I actually was expecting one but did not open this) and the latest being from facebook. you were to go to your facebook page and do something....I do not even belong now or never will belong to facebook....then there are the phone scams... it is getting to the point can't trust anyone........ X Files anyone?

Facebook is easy to set security so no one can see anything you don't want seen. I have two, one for family and one for quilting info. Family Facebook is set for only a few family members to access. It's great to keep up with family.
My public Facebook page has a generic email address and where I get notices of give aways, quilt patterns, bargains, etc from quilting websites. I win so much quilting things from Facebook postings! All the major quilt sites, designers, manufacturers, authors, and shows use Facebook for great information.

While I love to get mail, talk to anyone, any time the conversation gets to money, then I'm automatically on the alert.
No way do I give to any charity or group or person that I do not check up on to start with. Very few will be on the level.

It would really be better to use another contact method than a reply to the email... you are confirming to the scammers that you & your email address are real.

A different email address, different ISP, if they have more than one, or phone call, or contact a closer relative or friend who would have telephone contact.

these scams have been around long before facebook.
I would not blame facebook anymore than I would any other site.

scams are as old as the internet, facebook is not.
while facebook has issues, facebook is not the problem.

This scam is older than facebook.

My hubby just got scammed big time on Craigslist.
The ad and everything in it, pictures info, were taken from a ligit add on Ebay. Papers even had the Ebay and Paysafe logos. The catch was the money was to go through Western Union. Well, he thought it all looked right, made copies of everything, and then sent the money. Well they got the money, he got nothing. I kept telling him that going through WU didnt sound right for Ebay, but of course, his answer was " give me a little credit for protecting myself". It was a very expensive lesson, but I think he learned a lesson. And oh! It felt GOOD to be the smart one!! ,LOL

This scam has been going around for years. Contact your loved one that the email came from and tell them that their account has been hacked and they need to delete that account and open a new one.

I received something similar lately. Except I knew they WERE traveling in foreign countries, the e-mail "came" from a country they were actually visiting, so I was concerned. The e-mail claimed their passports and wallets had been stolen, so they were desperate for cash to pay the hotel bill, meals, and pay fees at the embassy to have their documents replaced. Sounded plausible. But no, they got no money from me!

So let's be careful.

thanks for the info

I especially do not like the ones that are made to look like they are coming from your bank and that you need to reverify your information otherwise your accout will be put on hold or closed.....and it looks real.

Good grief!

Few months back I had my email hacked thru Craigs list. I had to change all my information and lost so many of my favorites. I am slowly finding some of them but it is hard to remember all of them. For about a month all that I got for email was the message board.

Everyone needs to remember that your banks , and anything else that needs personal info will send you letters. they do not send emails or phone calls. I just got a letter from my bank about changing acct info. Wehn I had ordered my last checks she said that they were changing to a new bank, so we would be getting updated info and so the letter came and let me know what to do when the change comes. EBAY warns everyone not to go outside their website to do business for the simple reason too many people have too much time to think up scams and cause people grief.

We got an email last year from HI...to my husband from a friend of his asking for money to fly home because his mom had died. But.. my hub knew his friend was teaching and it seemed like an ODD time for him to be traveling. So.. he called him at home and sure as heck.. HE WAS HOME.

What an eerie feeling. We had JUST seen a deal on the news about these types of scams... and I am SO GLAD WE DID.

Always appreciative of the warnings and/or reminders.

Thanks for info!!!

That same situation happened to me. I knew my relative wasn't in England because I had just talked to her. Someone got into her email some how. She actually had to change her email address. I wasn't the only one that got that same email.

I have been there what a mess to get that straight even was shut out of my MSN account so had to get a new e address then go to all my sites and address book to correct with new e address I did hear from a lot of friends and family that I haven't heard from in a while asking if I was o.k. First I say you know me right I DON'T FLY

just about anytime it involves Western Union, it is a scam. You might as well take dollar bills and throw them off a bridge. You can never get your money back. That is why scammers use it.


I just got two about traffic tickets from NY state police, hmmmm, wonder how they got my email?

Hmmm.. why can't I receive a scam that will send me material ? LOL and it appears ?

Sad that people have to scam people, but its been going on since the word scam artist was ever stated. I don't open emails from anyone I don't know or haven't subscribed to.

Thanks for letting us all know !!

My e-mail scam was from Nigeria. Everyone, be very careful with all your e-mails and don't send money to anyone.

A friend of mine wanted to buy a used motorcycle, but they said it's located in the UK, so he should send money so they could ship it. Of course the price was great, but I told him he was about to burn his money. Gladly he canceled the purchase. A lot of troublemakers out there.

I got one like that once---from someone I had JUST hung up the phone with! Scammers are not the brightest crayons in the box.

Very smart and appropriate response! :thumbup:

The very same thing happened to me two weeks ago. And I freaked! My son and my wonderful computer person told me not to worry, it was just my email that was hacked...not my internet. He also said it was most probably a hack into the server's records and that they should be addressing it. They have. I had to change my password with the server (yes, I did verify) and now I feel quite secure....
Hope you are OK now too. It is an old scam and none of my email friends were taken in, but it only takes one for some jerk to make a killing.
Thanks for sharing your experience. These days, we can't be too careful....:)

Hope no one falls for this garbage, expecially our seniors!!

HA! I can't afford to pay attention let alone send money to a bunch of snot nosed, worm grubbing, low life scammers!!

What always gets me is most of the messages say to send it western union or something equally stupid. Who uses Western Union anymore? I wouldn't even know how to begin to do that.

I keep getting the one from a pastor in Africa who wants me to prayerfully consider infesting in his money making endeavors but don't tell any because it's just an oportunity for me.

There is a lot of scamming activity going around on Yahoo boards. I got one yesterday from my free-cycle board. they do slip by moderators. the most important thing is not to reply as that is how they hijack your email address book. Delete Delete Delete and contact the boards moderator. Scamers will never go away, in the middle ages they went from town to town selling slivers of the true Cross and other "holy relics"....just be savvy and say no.