This scam is not that popular yet, but we’ll probably begin hearing more about it in 2010, thanks to Web 2.0. Reported only few times this year, the scam seems to have reappeared during the past week. I guess the Tiger Woods incident helped. In a nutshell, the scammer gathers some very basic info about you (e.g. whether you’re married, your favorite places to visit, etc.) and builds a scam around you – it’s really quick and simple.
Sample message – the body will vary but the gist of the message goes like this:
Subject: ‘You really have to read this!’
‘I saw you at lunch at YumYum’s a few weeks ago with what appears to be a co-worker. She was cute, but I don’t think your wife will appreciate it. I wasn’t sure what to do with this info but since Christmas is coming, that would not be a good time to have family problems. Listen, I am ready to destroy the video but I really need money! $250 would be good. My PayPal address is: johnsmith@….com’
Yup, only $250! It’s not that much, and the success rate must be very good – for a scam that takes less than 5 minutes to create!
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