The Scam
Well, folks, there's a new phishing scheme going around the email circuit; we've had clients report it, and we've seen it ourselves. Apparently, the spammers think they will find success by inventing a story about being mugged in a foreign country and asking for money. The thing that makes the scheme tricky is that the perpetrators are hacking people's email accounts and sending the message to their contacts. So you may get one of these messages from someone you recognize.
What to Look For and What Not to Do
From others' experience and from our own, we can say that a telltale sign of this particular scheme is noticeably and consistently sloppy grammar, punctuation, and/or spelling. If you see an email with the aforementioned story and egregious composition errors, the best thing to do is just delete it; don't respond, click on any links, or open any attachments.
An Example
Just for kicks, here's an example of one of these phishing emails so you'll know what to look for:
Subject Line: Please Help!!!
Hello,
I'm sorry for this odd request and I'm writing this with tears on my eyes due to the situation of things right now,I'm stuck in London United Kingdom,i came down here for vacation and i got Mugged at gunpoint worse of it was that cash cell phone and credit cards were stolen , it's such a crazy and terrifying experience for me, i need help sort out my hotel bill and flying back home, the authorities are not being 100% helping, but the good thing is that i still have my passports, My return flight leave today,But i still have problem in sorting out the hotel bills.Please help.
Now I'm freaked out.