Watch out for scam emails from a forum member

I had an unusual email from a forum member yesterday asking when I would be next on line.

I thought it was suspicious, so I sent a vague response suggesting they email me again.

The reply gave a cock and bull story about why they needed me to buy a Google Play gift card for their daughter's birthday present.

This is a very well-known scam. The 'daughter' gets sent lots of loaded gift cards and the senders never get paid.

I've emailed the forum member using a second email I have for him.

I won't share their name or the scam email address for obvious reasons, but they will probably work through his address book and may well contact other forum members.

If you get any odd request about when you are next online or unexpected requests for help that involve sending money or gift cards, DO NOT RESPOND TO THEM.

Neil

This may be a variation of the "I've just been mugged in Kiev, and lost everything. Please send me some money" scam.

(Odd, since the previous day the "sender " was in California. )

Anything suspicious, I look at the sender address..

A deceased friend was sending from Russia, in one instance!

Often the E mail address ends in "ru", "de" or "fr"

Howard

I assume that the member is an innocent victim of the scammer? He or she needs to change their email address.

Nothing so exotic as Kiev but I did once get an email purporting to be from a colleague who was "stranded in a hotel in Swansea and needed £££ to get their luggage released".

Makes a change from the endless ones I get such as 'I am the wife of the late chief Umba Gumba, and need to deposit $6 million USD in a safe place and I can keep 10% for helping her etc

Password for that email should be changed & made stronger.

I got this last night :-

Probably an access attemt via one of the many bots that are used across the web to find passwords. Updated my password post haste. No need to change the email address according to my provider.

regards