Sad News

From: Vellieux Frederic
From: regnicat@, reply to: regniica@...

Somehow I don't believe someone in such a situation would write to ccp4bb instead of calling the family back home. Using Skype since there is apparently internet access !

And I rather view with my mind's eye someone sitting in an internet cafe in (say) Lagos, or the Paris suburbs or Kingston or...

Fred

Catherine Regni wrote:

I'm writing this with tears in my eyes,my family and I came over here to Madrid,Spain for a short vacation. unfortunately,we were  mugged at the park of the hotel where we stayed,all cash and credit card were stolen off us but luckily for us we still have our passports with us.

 We've been to the Embassy and the Police here but they're not helping issues at all and our flight leaves in few hours from now but we're having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won't let us leave until we settle the bills. Well I really need your financial assistance..Please, Let me know if you can help us out? Am freaked out at the Moment.

Catherine Regni......

----------
From: Pedro M. Matias
Fred,

This could be a scam where someone is impersonating the "real" Catherine - hence the mismatch in the e-mails... Someone tried to pull a stunt like that on me last summer using a fake e-mail and impersonating the husband of a friend of mine. The story is always the same: mugged / lost money / please help.

Cheers,

Pedro.

   
----------
From: Smita Mohanty
Yes, this is of course a scam.  My husband was almost duped by someone
who wrote in the name of a close friend saying that he got mugged in
Europe and to send money to return to USA. My husband of course was
ready to send for his colleague but just gave a call to his friend to
make this not a scam.  Of course, it was a scam.

Only last night we saved ourselves from another scam.  I think it is
good share with the group.  My son (in high school) found a 2005 BMW X5
on an internet site.  The car's blue book price is $26,000 but the
asking price by the seller is $2775.  Sounds too good to be true.   But
when my son (who dreams to own a BMW) contacted the owner (Amanda
Stone), she replied him immediately saying her son died two months back
in an automobile accident hit by a drunk driver while riding his
fiancee's car.  She simply wants to sell the car so that someone else
can use it and she is not interested in making money.  She said that she
has a deal with e-bay and that the car will be shipped by e-bay to the
buyer once the buyer pays the price that will be hold by e-bay.  The
buyer has 5 days to check the car out and if decides not to buy, the car
will be shipped back to e-bay at seller's cost and buyer gets back his
money.  She sent an invoice that was from e-bay with e-bay logo and
exactly looking genuine.

She sent car pictures and Vin and my husband checked the car out with
car fax.  She wanted the money to be sent to a e-bay financial expert
through moneygram although she sent name and address of an e-bay expert.
 That is when my husband called up e-bay just to make sure before he
send the moneygram out.  That is when e-bay told him this is a scam and
that e-bay never asks for moneygram.  That all transactions are done on
e-bay site only and that e-bay does not get any contract like the one we
had.  E-bay told us that their logo has/can be copied to make an invoice
appears to have come from them.  Of course, we went all communications
and invoice to e-bay.  We lost only $35 for car fax.

Lesson: we need to be aware of any advertisements on internet or
unsolicited e-mails.  Here is a site to read about different scams-

http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/be_crime_smart

Thanks,

Smita

----------
From: Gerard Bricogne
Dear Smita,

    For me, your story mostly illustrates the grave dangers of wanting to
own a BMW while still in high school ... ;-) .


    With best wishes,

         Gerard.

--

----------
From: William G. Scott
I thought it was some sort of allegory for tenure-track faculty positions.


-- Bill

----------
From: Charles Ballard
Dear All

the message originated from a yahoo account that had been registered since 2007.  We have delisted  the account.

Charles Ballard
CCP4