My lovely and dear friend Sly got her email hacked into, and some nefarious person sent this message out to her entire address book. If you receive it, do NOT send her money as she is NOT in London, nor does she write this poorly:
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: SLY
Date: Tue, Feb 23, 2010 at 11:50 AM
Subject: MY PREDICAMENT
To:
Hello!
I’m sorry I did not inform you about my traveling,Am presently in London,United Kingdom,but something horrible happened to me, i got mugged at a gun point.All my cash,credit card,my cell phone and some other valuable things were stolen in the process. Thanking Almighty God for my life and keeping my passport.
I really need your urgent assistance. AM NEEDING YOUR HELP WITH MONEY to SORT OUT MY HOTEL BILLS.I promise to refund it back to you soon as i get home.I dont have access to money right now,I need your help within a twinkle of an eye. I already canceled my card immediately after the Incident!!!Am at the public internet library where am making use of the free internet access.Am sending you this message cause this is Urgent,I will be greatful if you can render your assistance on time. Anxiously Waiting to hear from you cause my flight leaves in few hrs but need to sort the hotel bills and please save me from being embarrassed.
Thanks
SLY
From: SLY
Date: Tue, Feb 23, 2010 at 11:50 AM
Subject: MY PREDICAMENT
To:
Hello!
I’m sorry I did not inform you about my traveling,Am presently in London,United Kingdom,but something horrible happened to me, i got mugged at a gun point.All my cash,credit card,my cell phone and some other valuable things were stolen in the process. Thanking Almighty God for my life and keeping my passport.
I really need your urgent assistance. AM NEEDING YOUR HELP WITH MONEY to SORT OUT MY HOTEL BILLS.I promise to refund it back to you soon as i get home.I dont have access to money right now,I need your help within a twinkle of an eye. I already canceled my card immediately after the Incident!!!Am at the public internet library where am making use of the free internet access.Am sending you this message cause this is Urgent,I will be greatful if you can render your assistance on time. Anxiously Waiting to hear from you cause my flight leaves in few hrs but need to sort the hotel bills and please save me from being embarrassed.
Thanks
SLY
Wow.
Within a twinkle of an eye, that so poorly Writings.
The mugging at gunpoint deemed it worthy to be an incident with a capital I too.
Seriously, that sucks her email was hacked.
Hopefully none were scammed out of any money & good laughs were all that were brought by this.
B-Side, I would like to help out your friend, sounds like she is in quite the pickle. I can only give a few hundred dollars, but hey, any little bit counts. Where do I wire the money?
I like that it’s an Incident with a capital I so as to prove the importance of the matter. Hackers suck.
Aren’t you at least tempted to reply?
This same thing happened to my friend last month. I wonder if ppl actually fall for it. I mean, who would send such an e-mail??? Anyone who I’m close enough with and to whom I would give money would call, not e-mail.
This is a brilliant idea. I’m going to send one of these out to all my friends. Beats passive aggressive whining.
Thank God I read your blog before wiring the contents of my savings account to Sly! I wouldn’t have been so easily fooled except that the tone of the email was just so damn spot on!
If I had a dollar for every time she used the term “Thanking God Almighty,” I’d be as rich as this hacker!
I’M FEELING VERY EMPHATIC TODAY!
If I sent that out to my friends, they would all know it’s so fake. Even I spell grateful correctly and I can’t stand to write in mostly undercase. Even under duress.
This just happened to my friend’s gmail account too. Be careful.