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[DMB]

Has anyone come across the scam where the scammer captures someone's email contacts and then sends out piteous emails explaining how the person is travelling abroad, has been mugged and lost everything? S/he needs immediate money to be able to get home.

I've only experienced this once. My first reaction was to think it might be true, because this was someone who had asked me for various kinds of help (not financial) in the past. But I was suspicious because the purported sender of the email was British and the email seemed to be in American English. I found an alternative way of making contact and she was quite OK. She zapped the email account.

I did for several years send money to someone I knew in Uganda to put her through university. I was asked several times if I was sure what I was doing, so clearly it must have looked as though I were falling victim to a scam.

[DianNC]

Originally Posted by DMB

Has anyone come across the scam where the scammer captures someone's email contacts and then sends out piteous emails explaining how the person is travelling abroad, has been mugged and lost everything? S/he needs immediate money to be able to get home.

Yes, I think that one's pretty common. I received an email from an acquaintance saying she and her family were traveling in Scotland and she was mugged, she lost everything and just needed a couple of thousand dollars to get transportation home and then listed bank details for where to send it. She has a gmail account, so the first thing I did was a search to see if hacking of gmail accounts was common and I learned that it was.

I never did contact my friend -- she and I were both volunteers for a charitable organization and were more 'acquaintances', although I knew I was on her contact list. I'm sure she had enough to do in resolving the mess the hacker(s) created -- and I'm sure she heard from others who got the same message I did.

[greencat]

This kind of substitution scam was pretty common in east London when I lived there. Practically every week some car would pull up alongside me and ask me if I wanted to buy a cheap laptop/phone. They were even kind enough to offer to drive me to a cash point. Somehow I was able to pass up any offers made by those often extremely muscular and scary looking ruffians who barely fitted their cars never mind their clothes.

I heard that those who fell for it sometimes ended up with a box containing bricks or potatoes.

[Quexos]

Actually I came across something similar a long time ago. In my case it was a person in the street, an Italian who said he was stranded in my country of Northern Europe and did not have enough cash to pay for his gas to return to Italy and would let me have Armani suits for a very good price off the back of his car ... Even though I was still a teen in my late years, I smelled something was off, said sorry and went on my way without turning back.

Originally Posted by DMB

Has anyone come across the scam where the scammer captures someone's email contacts and then sends out piteous emails explaining how the person is travelling abroad, has been mugged and lost everything? S/he needs immediate money to be able to get home.

[J. Strnad]

Originally Posted by greencat

This kind of substitution scam was pretty common in east London when I lived there. Practically every week some car would pull up alongside me and ask me if I wanted to buy a cheap laptop/phone. They were even kind enough to offer to drive me to a cash point. Somehow I was able to pass up any offers made by those often extremely muscular and scary looking ruffians who barely fitted their cars never mind their clothes.

I heard that those who fell for it sometimes ended up with a box containing bricks or potatoes.

As W. C. Fields said, "You can't cheat an honest man."

[afa]

Originally Posted by greencat

I heard that those who fell for it sometimes ended up with a box containing bricks or potatoes.

Ah, so it wasn't a complete loss, then?

Originally Posted by Quexos

Actually I came across something similar a long time ago. In my case it was a person in the street, an Italian who said he was stranded in my country of Northern Europe and did not have enough cash to pay for his gas to return to Italy and would let me have Armani suits for a very good price off the back of his car ... Even though I was still a teen in my late years, I smelled something was off, said sorry and went on my way without turning back.

No way! We have a similar scam that's been happening in Dubai for a few years now.

A car from a neighbouring country would pull up next to you (usually Saudi Arabia or Oman) and the guy will rattle on about how he came to Dubai for a vacation, had some sudden car trouble, and spent the last X amount of dollars he had on fixing it. Would we please be so kind as to give them gas money so they could get back home?

The cheeky bastard would invariably have a woman in the passenger seat and even a kid or two in the back, just to add that little extra something to the zesty flavour of emotional blackmail.

At least you guys could get a suit for your troubles...

[J. Strnad]

When we lived in Hollywood, that was pretty common...people claiming they needed bus money to go home. It's a good line because it plays on your sympathy but also your antagonism (give money to get rid of this person). Whatever your leanings, you're tempted to give them the money.