I just wonder how many people these people are trying to 'SCAM"? I ASSUME THEY'RE ARE LOOKING FOR BANK ACCOUNT NUMBERS AND PERSONAL INFORMATION. WHO ARE THEY AND FOR WHAT PURPOSE?THAT'S THE SCARY QUESTION! I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN KNOWING HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE RECEIVED THE SAME TYPE OF EMAIL! 911 HAPPENED BECAUSE NO QUESTIONED, i'M ASKING!
2006-07-23 11:04:46 · 11 answers · asked by noditz57 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
It's a scam.
Similar scams have been going on for about 30 years, but they really started to hit when email became so popular. They come in many different forms, but all basically boil down to the same offer.
The goal is to get people to give out personal information, which is then used either for identity theft or fraudulent money transfers. Some scams ask people to send in some type of retainer fee in advance, while others just want the personal information that can be used to steal from you.
I get a couple dozen a day, out of the hundred or so spam messages I get every day. Millions of people receive the messages, and probably hundreds have been gullible enough or greedy enough to fall for the scam.
Just delete them, like you'd delete any other junk mail.
2006-07-23 11:20:27 · answer #1 · answered by coragryph 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's called "fishing" - it's extremely common, and annoying. It's a form of spam from lowlifes who do that type of thing. It's probably more about stealing money than funding terrorism.
FYI -
It's not generally a good idea to email spammers back, they sell your email among themselves. If it's a spoof site from a bank or PayPal (I get those all the time) report it to the institution, and let them go after them, it's a better option and they have more resources to do it.
2006-07-23 18:09:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I get 2 to 3 a day from some "emir" in Zaire and from others in primarily African countries. And blocking the sender doesn't work, because they use a different name everytime.
But the mere fact that they keep doing it tells me that there are some big-time suckers out there that are paying for their time to do this.
2006-07-23 18:10:31 · answer #3 · answered by rlw 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I did once and I emailed the person back, I got very snotty with him saying how the #$%& does he know if I am or not related to whomever it was he said I was. Also told him to bug off. ( I knew it was a scam as I'm divorced and never went back to my madian name, and I've heard of others falling for it and getting screwed)
2006-07-23 18:11:09 · answer #4 · answered by Rain32 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I keep getting them. All different kinds, but all the same general idea. It started about 10 months ago. I also assume they want to obtain personal information. Whatever. I just ignore them.
2006-07-23 18:12:29 · answer #5 · answered by Bobbie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I recieve emails like that all the time, you're right, that is what they're trying to do. They most likely got your email from you giving your email to a non-secure site. I'd stop giving your email to sites that aren't secure (secure sites=Yahoo, Google, MySpace, Xanga, etc...) and also install a spam blocker if you can.
2006-07-23 18:10:53 · answer #6 · answered by mariatheshark 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I get those too...Yes it's a scam...What they want is your account info...Remember, if they can put money IN, they can take money OUT and being from other countries, there's no recourse & you'll just be screwed...
2006-07-23 18:09:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it's a scam. They'll ask you to "put up" some money, too, and then they'll have your money AND your account #s.
2006-07-23 18:13:11 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That has happened a lot, not just through email.
2006-07-23 18:10:11 · answer #9 · answered by James 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
419 scams don't fall for it
2006-07-23 18:16:20 · answer #10 · answered by okayokayokay 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋