A CORK woman whose name and address were used by fraudsters to try to scam people out of more than €1,000 has warned internet users to be careful about protecting email accounts.
The woman’s email account was hacked into on Friday and the perpetrators used it to send out messages to friends and contacts in her address book in an apparent plea for financial assistance. With the subject line: "HELP HELP!!", the message purported to be written by the identity theft victim herself and claimed she needed £920 (€1,021) to pay for a London hotel.
The email claimed she had been mugged at gunpoint the night before, leaving her with no means to settle the bill. It said the woman and her guests were not being allowed to leave without paying and even gave two British mobile phone numbers which were alleged to be those of the hotel manager.
"I started getting calls on Friday night, and loads of people have called to know if I was alright. I’ve reported it to the gardaí. It’s been very distressing," she said.
"I had protection software on my computer but it should be a reminder to people to be extra careful with their email passwords," the woman said.
Recipients were asked to wire the money, giving a genuine London address. Her home address in Cork was listed, with the promise: "I’ll def refund your cash as soon as I get home."
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, March 08, 2010
