Warning and Information to be Aware

I receive the bulletins from the DOJ, FBI, etc. I have just received one that might be of interest to some of you and if not, perhaps someone you know that might be gullible or naive enough to be taken in by this scam.

Intelligence Note
Prepared by the Internet Crime
Complaint Center (IC3)
July 2, 2010

Claims of Being Stranded Swindles Consumers Out of Thousands of Dollars

The IC3 continues to receive reports of individuals' e-mail or social networking accounts being compromised and used in a social engineering scam to swindle consumers out of thousands of dollars. Portraying to be the victim,
the hacker uses the victim's account to send a notice to their contacts. The notice claims the victim is in immediate need of money due to being robbed of their credit cards, passport, money, and cell phone; leaving them stranded in London or some other location. Some claim they only have a few days to pay their hotel bill and promise to reimburse upon their return home. A sense of urgency to help their friend/contact may cause the recipient to fail to validate the claim, increasing the likelihood of them falling for this scam.

If you receive a similar notice and are not sure it is a scam, you should always verify the information before sending any money.

If you have been a victim of this type of scam or any other Cyber crime, you can report it to the IC3 website at: www.IC3.gov.

The IC3 complaint database links complaints for potential referral to the appropriate law enforcement agency for case consideration. Complaint information is also used to identity emerging trends and patterns.