Translation - art & business » Scams »
Mean Spam
Thread poster: Rolf Kern
Rolf Kern
Rolf Kern  Identity Verified
Switzerland
Local time: 15:43
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
Jun 2, 2012

The other day, I received the following e-mail:

"Betreff: Bad Sitution …Urgen t Help Needed
Von: Klaus Urban
Datum: 10.05.2012 18:47
An: undisclosed recipients:;

I really don’t mean to inconvenience you right now but I'm writing this with tears in my eyes. I made a quick trip to Antigue, Philippine for a short Stay.
Unfortunately I was robbed at the hotel car parking by some set of robbers at the hotel where I stay, all cash, credit car... See more
The other day, I received the following e-mail:

"Betreff: Bad Sitution …Urgen t Help Needed
Von: Klaus Urban
Datum: 10.05.2012 18:47
An: undisclosed recipients:;

I really don’t mean to inconvenience you right now but I'm writing this with tears in my eyes. I made a quick trip to Antigue, Philippine for a short Stay.
Unfortunately I was robbed at the hotel car parking by some set of robbers at the hotel where I stay, all cash, credit card and mobile phones were stolen from me but fortunately for me I still got my passports with me.

I have been to the embassy and to the police to report the case but the they are not helping the matter in any case. Now I don't have enough money with me to get my air fare back home and pay for the hotel bills and the hotel management won't allow me to leave. I'm pleading with you to loan me $2,850 Dollars right now and wire it via western union money transfer with my name. I'll pay back as soon as I get home. I need to sort out the hotel bills and get back home with available flight.

I'm freaked out at the moment.

Klaus Urban"


Fact is, that Klaus Urban is one of our high ranking colleagues for translations into German. His real e-mail address is identical with the exception of one letter.

Does anybody have received this spam as well?
I informed him of this spam but he did not reply.

I am still upset about this incidence.

Best regards
Rolf Kern ▲ Collapse
 
Tony M
Tony M
France
Local time: 15:43
Member
French to English
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
Common scam, sadly! Jun 2, 2012

Sorry this arrived to upset you, Rolf — but it's sadly quite a common scam, and has been discussed (and warned about) in this 'Scams' forum before.

It would be so easy to fall for it, the basic scam has been around for years, but by making it apparently from someone you know of course makes it all the more believable — what a good job you didn't fall for it!
 
Natalie
Natalie  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 15:43
Member (2002)
English to Russian
+ ...

MODERATOR
SITE LOCALIZER
Please see scam alert of May 10 Jun 2, 2012

http://wiki.proz.com/wiki/index.php/Translator_scam_alert_reports

You can subscribe to the alerts here:
http://www.proz.com/about/translator-scam-alerts/



[Edited at 2012-06-02 19:49 GMT]
 
Liviu-Lee Roth
Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 09:43
Romanian to English
+ ...
Hi Rolf, Jun 3, 2012

Since the scammers hijacked his e-mail, it is advised to get in touch with him by phone or other means. If he changes his password (making it harder to crack), he may be able to "retrieve" his e-mail account.

Best,
lee
 
IrimiConsulting
IrimiConsulting  Identity Verified
Sweden
Local time: 15:43
Member (2010)
English to Swedish
+ ...
Not hijacked Jun 3, 2012

Since the scammers hijacked his e-mail


One letter differs, meaning that the address should be safe.
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Lucia Leszinsky[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Mean Spam







Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »
Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »