Viewing 23 posts - 1 through 23 (of 23 total)
  • Im possibly being scammed, suggestions Manchester knowledge possibly helpful
  • turin
    Free Member

    Never thought Id ever get caught out by something like this and thought anybody who did was a right mug.

    Anyway to cut a long story short,I got an email from a friend, who is from Jamaica, I was at uni with a few years back who I have not heard from in a while, from the same first part of the email address but a different provider. Basically saying that he was at a course in Manchester, where he has had his belongings stolen from. The embassy apparently sent him to an immigrant hostel in Manchester. He needed money to sort out his return. I sent him £25 initially incase it was him thinking that it might help him out in the very short term and if it wasnt then Id only lost £25. However he says that he needs hundreds. Dont get me wrong if it is this guy then I would be only too willing to help him out.

    I asked him some questions,which pretty much only he would know and he was particuarly vague with the answers. I also said that if he could make his way to where I live that he could stay with me till he sorted something out.

    I also wonder what he needs the cash for, I would have assumed that he would have a return air ticket,which they would have a copy of it which he could access and obtain his flight home,if his pasport was stolen Im sure that an emergency one would be able to be issued for him quickly and that if he had missed his flight that the airline would alow him to move his flight with a minimal additional charge. Also if he had been staying in an hotel for a period of time that they woudl have been using his credit card to take payment, if he had had his belongings stolen from there then they woud have alowed him to use his credit card details to stay there for a further period of time? Unless he was staying in a backpackers type of hostel,which he may well have done

    I have made contact with a mutual friend from uni and he has contacted her, she has also sent some money, the amount Im unsure of at this time,tho it sounds like it is considerably more than the £25

    To be honest the more I think about it the more dubious I am about it, but I would really hate it if it is him who is in trouble and I could help.

    So does anybody know if there is an immigrant hostel in Manchester or has heard of a similar scam?

    quite possibly the more I read my own post Ive been done out of £25, but better that than a lot more

    GSuperstar
    Free Member

    To be honest the part that stands out to me is the 'particuarly vague with the answers'.

    If i was lending somebody a lot of money, i'm sure them being my friend would understand me needing to make sure it is who they say. I'd do nothing until you get straight forward responses.

    turin
    Free Member

    Thanks for the reply

    Thats what Im thinking to be honest.

    I keep trying to think that if it is him id hate him to be in such a situation.

    Im going to ask him a couple more questions and tell "him" that if he cant answer them then I cant send him anymore money.

    Prob lost £25 and a big chunk of pride but better that than ££££££

    cheers

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    user-removed
    Free Member

    Pretty sure this is the oldest scam in the internet book of scams. I've heard of it in various forms but the general gist is just as you've described; scammer gets an email address and sends emails to all contacts to say he's in trouble and needs cash to get sorted.

    A few kind hearted /worried / gullible (sorry) individuals act on the email and send cash – repeat several hundred times a day with different email addresses and retire.

    turin
    Free Member

    Hands up if im a mug,I really thought I would never get stung.

    I feel suitably chastised and stooopid

    PiknMix
    Free Member

    but you wont do it again so its a valuable experience 🙂

    (I hope your friend isn't in any bother though)

    mieszko
    Free Member

    Yep it's a scm. Recently a friend of mine was "sending" that type of an email. I knew something was not right as I would know that she is in London in the first place, 2nd why would she be in London and the email was in some sort of Nigerian scam english rather than normal English (she studies English) and she is Polish anyway so would write to me in Polish. That kind of gave it away. I contacted her to say that someone had used her email and she told me that indeed she wasn't able to log in the day before. My mate Brian who is also her ex boyfriend got really worried and was ready to send her some cash. Another friend explained to him that it cannot be her and all ended well.

    You lost £25 but tbh I never got a similar email before, always some bankers from Nigeria or my royalty relatives from there. Good thing it was £25 and not more, it was just a normal human reaction when You are concerned about Your friend's wellbeing. Now You know it's a scam so won't fall for it again.

    carriegold
    Free Member

    Received one recently from a friend who wanted £800 for a hotel bill! Apparently he was in Scotland and stuck. Well, I could think of worse places to be stuck in.

    But the English wasn't my mate's style. Got one of the older members of the club so worried he phoned me to see if it was for real or a scam tho.

    lowey
    Full Member

    Sorry, but have you actually spoken to the guy rather than via email ?

    If one of my mates was in trouble, first thing I;d do would be to either pick the phone up to him/her or email asking for their number.

    No way would I ever part with any money without speaking to them first.

    hora
    Free Member

    Its only £25- a comparative small lesson and you thought you were helping a friend. Feel good about that part of your soul and move on.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    Might be worth contacting anyone else you know who might have also known him and warn them.

    Sounds like his hotmail/gmail account has been hacked.

    If you still doubt just ask for a phone number where you can contact him.

    Rockhopper
    Free Member

    Absolutely classic scam i'm afraid. What method did you send him the money by?

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    Sorry, but have you actually spoken to the guy rather than via email ?

    If one of my mates was in trouble, first thing I;d do would be to either pick the phone up to him/her or email asking for their number.

    No way would I ever part with any money without speaking to them firs
    Exactly my thoughts – if a friend was in need I would call them. I would also find it odd that a friend in real need would email me rather than pick up a phone.

    Pook
    Full Member

    Sounds just like a Facebook scam I had on me. My mate was wanting £200 til pay day, on the promise he'd get it back to me then. I started asking him what the issue was and he was really quite convincing.
    Anyway, my mate then went into the kitchen, so I followed him and asked him when he needed it. He didn't know what i was talking about so we then spent the next half hour stringing the scammer on.

    It was very convincing to be fair, but as already suggested here, I wouldn't have done anything without first talking to him.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    What Lowey said but if i was in trouble I would start by calling people rather than e-mailing them as well

    mieszko
    Free Member

    Hello

    Please i am writing you in profound grief. I am in London(United kingdom) for summer vacation; unfortunately , i was mugged at gun point last night at the park of the Bed and Breakfast (B and B) where i lodged and all valuable items and documents where taken away from me including my bank card and cell phone.

    I've been to the embassy and to the Metropolitan Police here, but they ain't helping issues at all,i am having problems finding my way back home.

    The manager won't let me leave until i settle my bills, now i am devastated. I need your assistance to return back home.

    Regards
    Kat

    Here is the email I got. I can imagine the one You received was similar.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Would a friend who's studied in Manchester need to explain what a B&B was and where London is?

    Scam scam scam scam, scam scam scam scam loverly scam, scam scam scam scam (repeat and fade).

    brant
    Free Member

    Do you think it was what this was building up to?

    D0NK
    Full Member

    Pook, did I get that right? you and your mate were sat in the same room/flat/house but were (supposedly) chatting on facebook?

    turin
    Free Member

    I think the details have been a bit muddled, we studied in Glasgow and he was on a course in manchester. He didnt have the phone numbers as his phone had ben stolen so thats why the email.

    Obviously now with hindsight and a bit of clarity I was taken for a ride and right royally shatfted!! Always wise with hindsight and I guess if I had heard it I would have been thinking I was very naive to have fallen from it. But some dude in Nigeria is having a drink on me just now.

    I spoke to the other mutual friend who has after a lot of digging has been able to contact our friend who is safe and sound in sunny Jamaica so that is good. With his email all locked down,however she had sent £800!!!!

    The morals of the storey is never trust anybody (which I thought I was good at) and a friend in need is a sodding pest :-)))

    Ah well lesson learned, cheers for the replies and the quite deserved chastisement of me for being a donkey

    hora
    Free Member

    £800? He must have flicked a few switches for her when you guys were studying? 8)

    Mr lover lover 😉

    turin
    Free Member

    I think you might be right on the button, pardon the pun

    Cougar
    Full Member

    She went of her own accord, etc etc. I'm here all week, try the veal.

Viewing 23 posts - 1 through 23 (of 23 total)

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