Words from a Reader

The “Writing Life Stories” e-mails I receive are such treasures. As soon as I see there is one in my inbox, I read it immediately. I look forward to them and never know how they will touch me. They can be interesting, informative, humorous, and/or touching.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Phishing, scamming, lying and stealing my Yahoo address

I have been scammed or whatever the term is for someone stealing my Yahoo ID and account.
My friends and everyone in my Yahoo address book has been targeted with an email that seems to be from me, but it is not.
This email asks for money to help me while I am in England for a funeral.
Well, I am not in England. I am not asking for money and I urge you to not open any emails from my Yahoo address.

Delete the email and don't respond to it. I am trying to get to the bottom of this, but it is difficult.
Be aware of anything unusual and don't send money to someone in a foreign country until you have fully checked it out.
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5 comments:

  1. Joan Ellen Gage AdminMarch 27, 2010 at 8:35 PM

    I saw this email and was immediately suspicious. I had read where someone had done this with an account on Facebook.
    I guess you have to change your account and email?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glenda Council BeallMarch 28, 2010 at 12:39 AM

    Yes, Joan, anyone who knows me very well was suspicious. But some dear folks responded right away with, "Of course I will help. what do you want me to do?"
    But then realized it was not an email from me at all. Most friends began calling and emailing to check the validity of this bogus message.
    I guess we cannot be too careful and so I am in the process of deleting this email address and opening another.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Karen HurtubiseMarch 28, 2010 at 11:03 AM

    Hi Glenda,
    We just returned from my husband's father's funeral in Chicago, a sudden surprise. He found this email from your yahoo address this Saturday and pointed it out as not seeming to be correct given that you are a writer for one thing. Thanks for posting about your address. We will delete this. Hope you get to the bottom of this theft. Be well--Karen H
    Here is the fake email(does not include a salutation by the way):

    "How's the weekend going? I hope everything is alright. Please I need you to help me out with something. Can I get a loan from you urgently? I`ll reimburse you under a week, I promise. I need to solve some personal problems at hand which have been giving me worries. I`d also prefer if we discuss this through email as I`m presently in England for a friend's funeral. I`m sorry if I didn`t inform you about it, but please try and understand. I`ll let you know how much I need if you are willing to assist me. Thanks,
    Glenda Beall
    writerlady2l@yahoo.com

    Now Might as Well Be Then
    www.finishinglinepress.com

    Echoes Across the Blue Ridge:
    Stories, Essays and Poems by Writers
    Living in and Inspired by the
    Southern Appalachian Mountains
    -------coming 2010 ---------- "

    ReplyDelete
  4. GlendaMarch 28, 2010 at 6:27 PM

    Karen,
    I'm so, so sorry about your husband's father. Give him my sympathy, please.
    I am so upset over this nut using my name like this. I think it is one of the foreign spammers who seem to plague us online.
    Thanks for stopping in.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sam Hoffer / My Carolina KitchenMarch 30, 2010 at 5:49 PM

    Glenda, I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I'm glad you caught it. All of this is just so unfair.
    Sam

    ReplyDelete

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