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Your Broke Friend May Actually Be a Scammer
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jul 25, 2010
Modified Jul 25, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jul 25, 2010
Modified Jul 25, 2010
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The Manhattan DA's "cybercrime" unit is warning internet users citywide that the e-mail you got from your 2nd cousin saying his wallet got stolen by a one armed man while he was on vacation in Portugal is probably a scam. In the "stranded traveler" scam, hackers assume the identity of a friend or relative and claim to be in a "compromised situation," most likely in a foreign country. We're not sure about you, but if any of our relatives were dumb enough not to book a return ticket, they could stay in Europe or wherever.
Unsurprisingly, David Szuchman of the cybercrime unit says that in "virtually every single case, these e-mails are not legitimate." The office has seen an uptick in these cases in Manhattan in the past few weeks, and is asking New Yorkers to "be skeptical of any request for money made via email, particularly if accompanied by claims of urgency or necessity." The DA's office says most of these emails say the relative in need is in London, and considering the dollar to pound conversion rate, it would make a lot of sense if they needed a loan.
Tagged
cybercrime
internet
scam
stranded traveler scam
Jaya Saxena
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