Email Scammers are getting cunning,
This one almost got me the other day and I consider myself to able to spot a fraudulent email from a mile away.
To prevent others falling into the same trap I thought I would write a short piece on the events that almost got me.

This attack started with a Facebook instant message.

Friend –

Hello
How are you doing??

Me –

yea, getting there.. yourself?

Friend –

Glad you are here luke
Am in some king of deep mes here

Me –

huh?

Friend –

Facebook is acting up here…Please can i have your email

Me –

–insert email address here–

Friend –

I will send you an email now and explain what am going through
OK?

Friend –

My email is blue_green00998
Ok?

Me –

ok, about to leave work, will read it soon though

This is what the email said..

Hi,
How you doing?my family and I made a trip to Philippine unannounced some days back,Unfortunately for us we got messed up in another country,stranded in Philippine,fortunately passport was back in our hotel room. It was a bitter experience and i was hurt on my right hand,but would be fine.I am sending you this message because i don’t want anyone to panic,i want you to keep it that way for now.

our return flight leaves in a few hours but we are having troubles sorting out the hotel bills, wondering if you could loan us some money to sort out the hotel bills and also take a cab to the airport about (1,550 dollars).

I have been to the police and embassy here,but they aren’t helping issues,I have limited means of getting out of here,i have canceled my credit cards already and made a police report,I won’t get a new credit card number till I get back home! So I really need your help.

You could wire whatever you can spare to my name and location via Western union:

Name: –Removed For Privacy–
Location :Location :54B Banawe Street:City:Manila:Country:Philippine
Amount:(1,000 pounds)

Get back to me with the details,would def refund your money once i get back you can count on that,below are the details needed for me to pick up the money with my passport

MTCN:
Amount Sent:

I await your prompt response.

After checking out the exchange rate and starting some background checking, I was about to ring a few people to see if the story held any water when I received another message from Facebook.

Friend –

hey mate.
wtf is going on here? looks like my page might have got hacked or something. disregard anything that was said in this. weird as.

hope all is well otherwise tho.

So what do you do when you have a scammer on the other end..
Well I though I would have a bit of fun..

So I email him back..

Me –

Hi mate,
I have transferred the money into your bank.
It should arrive instantly as we are with the same bank of course 🙂

Have a safe trip home..

Him –

Luke thanks for the mail I need you to go to the western union to get the money transfer How soon as you get the money done you can email me the western union details (MTCN)

Me –

Can you transfer the money back then?
I will create a transfer when it arrives..

Cheers

Him –

Thanks for the mail. Luke i have not getting any Money here I can get any money through bank here is only transfer they do here in Manila

I will refund your money as soon as i get back tomorrow.

I owe you a lot Luke

Ok so by now I think he has wised up a bit (one would hope) and he wont be getting my money..
If you do get something like this, report it..
Though I lost nothing besides time someone else could fall for the same trap.

Here are two links that I used to report the case to the authorities..
https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/tag/reportascam/
http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/reporting_to_ISPs.php

For SMS spam have a look at this post by AVG
http://resources.avg.com.au/spam/sms-spam/

Take Home Message.

• Do some research, call friend and relatives to see if the message holds water
• Suss out the spelling and grammar. Look at the example above it’s all over the place
• DONT transfer money to unknown places or Bank accounts.
• KEEP YOUR PASSWORDS PRIVATE! – Dont type your password into a box that looks like Facebook for example, this is a easy way for scammers to gain access to your account. Creating a fake facebook login page is easy and they gain access to your username and password. If you find you did type your password in a unknown site, PLEASE PLEASE change your password.

I have become a bit more wiser with this scam, I hope people can learn from my experience and become wiser with online security..

The account running this scam is
blue_green00998@yahoo.com
I have found out by talking to the scammer that he uses the same account but changes the name frequently to match the person his impersonating..

2 Responses to “Email Scam”

1. Matt L Says:
   January 13th, 2012 at 7:29 pm

   I heard of this one about a year ago, The old “Had my wallet stolen in another country and desperetly need a loan” scam. You the first One I heard of thats been hit by it though.

   Btw I just got an email and it looks like a relative I never heard of just left me a MASSIVE inheritence. Awesome yeah? Just gotta transfer some legal fees now….

2. NAIDU, AVINESH Says:
   April 18th, 2012 at 12:22 am

   Individuals and businesses who have been caught up in a loan scam by D.S.F.S (Desert Storm Financial Services – ABN: 23 738 592 488) formerly known as SKE Group Investments (Street Kings Entertainment – ABN: 23 738 592 488) should contact ASIC on 1300 300 630 and submit a Fraud Report at your local Police station.

   This unlicensed business uses a technique widely known as ‘grooming’ where they gain the trust of customer while offering loans with an upfront fee. This business is not licensed to offer financial services.

   All lenders, brokers and credit intermediaries must be licensed by the ASIC in order to offer consumer credit products and services.

   Subsequent to inquiries being made in relation to complaints about SKE Group (Street Kings Entertainment), the contact details and trading name have changed to D.S.F.S (Desert Storm Financial Services) but unmoderated listings on open classifieds websites have continued.

   Consumers should check basic company and business details by consulting ASIC’s website (www.asic.gov.au), which contains a listing of all registered Australian companies and businesses. ASIC’s MoneySmart website (www.moneysmart.gov.au) also provides helpful information on how to avoid scams.

   Consumers seeking loans or other credit products should not deal with companies or persons who are not licensed by ASIC. Licensed companies and persons are subject to stringent requirements under the national consumer credit legislation, the purpose of which is to protect consumers. By dealing only with those who are licensed by ASIC, consumers can be more confident that they are dealing with a legitimate credit service provider.

   Anyone who has been defrauded by a loan scam should contact ASIC on 1300 300 630 or make a complaint on the ASIC website.

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