Seems legit too me, so I sent back something helpful 🙂

“Hello

I’m sorry for this odd request because it might get to you too urgent but it’s because of the situation of things right now, I’m stuck in Madrid Spain with Family right now, we came down here on holiday we were robbed, The situation seems worse as bags,cash,credit cards and mobile phone were stolen at GUN POINT, It’s such a crazy experience for us, we need help flying back home, the authorities are not being 100% supportive but the good thing is that we still have our passport but don’t have enough money to get our flight ticket back home, please i need you to loan me some money, I will reimburse you right as soon as I’m back home. I promise

Regards
Tom”

“Tom,

Please send me your bank details and address. I will try to arrange my courier to drop the money with you in Madrid.”

“Thank you so much Legend, I’m sorry about the urgency of this request but I’m really glad you acknowledged it, All we need right now is 1,000 Euros but anything you can spare pending when we get things straightened out will be appreciated and I promise to refund you as soon as we arrive home safely

I already canceled my card account when my CC got stolen, so I can’t get any money via bank account, You will have to wire it via western union, check http://www.westernunion.com. Below is all you need to complete the wire transfer via Western Union

Name: Tom Van Rossum

Location: Álvarez de Castro Street, 41. 28010 Madrid
Country: Spain

Just go to any western union outlet that is close to you, they accept cash or debit card, send the money from there and email me the confirmation # as soon as you are done.

I will be looking forward to your email. Thank you so much in advance.

Tom & Lidx”

I’m thinking that it would be easier (and cheaper) for me just to offer to buy the flights home? Or is there anything else I can do to ‘help’? 😉

Its a scam

Yeah, just get them to give you the flight numbers and that you’ll pay for them. 🙂

Then ask if they need some money for a hotel or anything while they’re waiting to get the flight.

No shit sherlock, the guy is taking the piss 🙄

Thanks Sherlock 🙂

TeeJ, I think the OP realises it’s a scam and is yanking the scammers chain.

had exactly the same blag with my mates email address that was hacked. The only issue here is that I hope you changed the names of your mate in the description above to protect the innocent?

Do you know him?

If not then advise him to go to the British Embassy.

FFS, there are British Embassies all over Spain to deal with this sort of things. Didn’t you watch the TV programme on British Embassies in Spain?

The British Embassy will call the people on their behalf. i.e. relatives etc.

Slight inconvenience but not the end of the world and let them starve to slim down a bit.

Sounds like scamming technique has improved a lot.

🙄

p/s: tell them to become drug mules by swallowing condoms of shite …

I used to live a couple of minutes from that address. 😀

Suggest he can buy a car, bring it to you as delivery as it is cheaper in Spain than UK, you can pay on delivery….

😳

just email him any random No for the confirmation.

Its a scam

Better safe then sorry, TJ.
Don’t die of embarrassment and all that.

Reply with a made up transfer number, and say you’re a bit of a novice when it comes to using Western Union so you might’ve got the wrong number. See how long it goes back and forth 🙂

Explain your bank account had been hacked and ask them what to do ?

Blimey! Dangerous place is Álvarez de Castro Street, 41. 28010 Madrid!

http://stopartscams.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/scam-email-brian-needs-help.html

I got one of these recently, friend’s email account got hacked. It was a scam, but I’d say it was one of the more “real” looking ones. I bet the hook a few people out of every thousand they send. Since LinkedIn got hacked my spam count in general has gone through the roof, some convincing ones from “DHL” or other organisations.

Thanks guys, but yes I had realised it was a scam – hence offering to have my ‘courier’ give them money 🙂 that was a nod to the good old Nigerian Prince and his couriere – thought saying Nigerian would’ve been too obvious though.

I think I might have to travel to Madrid on business in the next couple of days, so that should help 😉

but legend is that your mates name? Or did you make one up.

tell them to become drug mules by swallowing condoms of shite

they’d probably have more success if they swallowed condoms of drugs…

Andrew David Gradon has been successfully living off this scam in Europe for years: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313430/Unmasked-years-run-First-picture-Airport-fraudster-Andrew-Gradon.html

He’s not alone; I got scammed out of 400 Forint in a hotel lobby in Budapest by an English lady (only £1.00 so I’m not losing sleep over it) and there are many others doing the same around the world.

Its a scam

Oh how you must have cursed the 15 minute edit cut-off 8)

Tell him you’ve arranged for your cousin Xavier to pick him up.

I encountered a similar thing on Gumtree recently, a buyer wanted me to send my brand new macbook to her friend in Nigeria in time for her birthday, on she assured me that she’d pay me once her pay-cheque cleared.

The sad thing is, people actually fall for it.

Bad idea to reply to scam mails. You will now be flagged as a responder, and will have your address sold on to more spammers. Just delete.

Was everyone on the glue last night?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satire

Got one of these not so long ago. It actually made me feel quite bad since it was from the account of a friend who died last year.

Toys, I’ve no idea who the sender is so names are as they were

Ahh ok .

The scam is normally that a friend’s email gets hacked and the baddies send this email to everyone in their contact list. So it’s not quite as ridiculous a request as in your case.

For example I had exactly the same email from a mate and for a good few mins I had zero suspicion and was ready to send the dosh..

FFS, there are British Embassies all over Spain to deal with this sort of things. Didn’t you watch the TV programme on British Embassies in Spain?

Actually there’s only one British Embassy in Spain, but there are consular offices all over the place. And yes, if you have your bags etc. nicked they will help you out.

Toys, I’ve no idea who the sender is so names are as they were

Weird, I could see toys19’s scam working – assuming you didn’t just grab the phone and call the friend to confirm it first. But a total stranger asking for a 1000€ loan??? What kind of idiot would fall for that???

FFS, there are British Embassies all over Spain to deal with this sort of things. Didn’t you watch the TV programme on British Embassies in Spain?

There aren’t British Embassies in Spain. Like Highlander…

Theres a website dedicated to this sort of scamming the scammers stuff. Can’t remember its name though, but the rules are, use an email address you can delete after you’ve scammed the scammer. ask stuff to really make them go out of their way to do it. For example, he says he’s in madrid, say something like

” money will follow asap, but as you know there’s lots of scams going round these days, can you prove you’re in Madrid? can you take a photo of you in front of real Madrids stadium with todays paper, then I’ll send the money straight away, cant be too careful etc etc”, then just go on like that, always promising money, the stuff this website have got scammers to do is incredible, tattoos the lot!

Álvarez de Castro Street, 41. 28010 Madrid

I’ve got a meeting about 5 minutes from there tomorrow morning, perhaps I should pop along to help Tom out?

Bit of a weird street for a robbery at gunpoint, it’s a reasonably nice area of Madrid. Not that I’ve actually ever heard of an armed mugging here.

Bit of a weird street for a robbery at gunpoint, it’s a reasonably nice area of Madrid. Not that I’ve actually ever heard of an armed mugging here.

Bit too close to Bravo Murillo for my liking. 😯 (Can’t say that!!!)
There was a shooting in Plaza de Conde del Valle de Suchill a few years ago.

Weird, I could see toys19’s scam working – assuming you didn’t just grab the phone and call the friend to confirm it first. But a total stranger asking for a 1000€ loan??? What kind of idiot would fall for that???

1) exactly
2) it isn’t actually my scam …
3) maybe the OP is in the real email address owners contact list due to a round robin email type thing. Therfore Tom Van watsit could be a mate of a mate?

Reviving an oldish thread, this paper sort of answers my question – apparently the scammers make the scam deliberately obvious, this weeds out the intelligent, and only leaves the gullible…

That was a form of spam getting us to read that. I got the point in the first couple of paragraphs, the rest was deathly..

Theres a website dedicated to this sort of scamming the scammers stuff. Can’t remember its name though

That’d be 419eater.com. Hours of fun if you’re that way inclined.