Yet another scam warning

[badger]

Since people do still fall for email/phone scams I received the following email (not sent to my personal address so obviously spam/scam) this morning:

I'm writing with tears in my eyes,my family and I came down here to ( Madrid ) Spain, for a short vacation unfortunately we were mugged at the park of the hotel we stayed,all cash credit cards and cell were stolen off but luckily for us we still have our passports with us.
I have been to the embassy and the Police here but they're not helping issues at all and our flight leaves pretty soon from now but we're having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won't let us leave until we settle the bills.Please be so kind to reply back so I can tell you what to do and how to get some cash to us.

I'm freaked out at the moment

Peter Blackwood
Treasurer
Caithness RFC

The name Peter Blackwood rings a bell with me, not sure why. I have forwarded it to Thurso Police.

[RecQuery]

His computer probably has some malware or his e-mail account has been compromised and the scammers are using it.

[andrew.bowles30]

yes watch out for those that come via gumtree as well offering work they send you $2000 travlers and you cash them then you take your money for doing the work live secret shopers then you send them the rest by transfer but the travlers checks are fake but the bank dont know for two weeks how strange then you have to pay all the money back if you have a good bank then your ok they will let you pay it back slowly but if not well thats it and if you get this prob call thurso police as i have done

[badger]

His computer probably has some malware or his e-mail account has been compromised and the scammers are using it.

Yes think that's the case. If I knew who he was I'd warn him so am hoping someone on here does.

[Kevin Milkins]

Peter Blackwood is indeed the treasurer of Caithness RFC, however I would doubt very much if he was the originator of the email.

It sounds like someone outside the UK because they have chosen vacation instead of holiday.

[John Little]

And 'Cell' instead of mobile...

[Bobinovich]

Peter's already been in touch (as well as a number of recipients - I was one myself) and while I've recommended a precautionary scan with the free Malwarebytes package, it's entirely possible it did not originate from his PC at all as has already been pointed out.

[badger]

I should have made clear at the start that I didn't imagine for one moment that the email came from the name on it. It was so obviously from a foreigner and the content so similar to the usual sob story these things contain. I've had several emails in the past purporting to come from friends but which obviously were not, usually trying to sell something. The reason I warned about this one is that there are many people who believe these scams, as they do the boiler room ones and the Microsoft phone calls (see today's Groat report of a lady who talked for ages before realising it was a scam). I suppose Spain made a change from Nigeria.

[Droopy]

yes watch out for those that come via gumtree as well offering work they send you $2000 travlers and you cash them then you take your money for doing the work live secret shopers then you send them the rest by transfer but the travlers checks are fake but the bank dont know for two weeks how strange then you have to pay all the money back if you have a good bank then your ok they will let you pay it back slowly but if not well thats it and if you get this prob call thurso police as i have done

Andrew, at the risk of sounding like the Puncuation Police, could you please use sentences, commas and full stops. I find you postings near impossibe to read, or make any sense off.

Thanks