Question about email hijacking...

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Fred Wright

Fred Wright

Administrator
Staff member
Aug 7, 2006
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Delaware, USA
www.nwedj.com
My friends,

This has been at the back of my mind for some time now... haven't seen it mentioned so I thought I'd ask.

Here's the story: A few months ago I received an email from an old coworker, a guy I hadn't heard from in over 2 years. I had written to them in the meantime. They didn't reply so I just gave it up for lost.

Anyhow, the email said he was stranded in some foreign country and needed money to get back stateside. Had it come from a stranger, I'd have given it the ol' heave-ho to the trash bin and thought no more of it.

But it came from his AOL address and had his name at the end of the letter.

I didn't reply... didn't trust it. But I've wondered since if AOL email accounts were being hijacked and used by fraudsters.

Thoughts?
 
This sounds like the email version of something that happened to me. Someone called me and told me they needed a CC number to help my next door neighbor, who was in a car accident, and taken to the hospital..... except my neighbor was sitting on her porch having a smoke.

I would bet 5 -1 this is a fraudulent email, with a spoofed address.
 
I get all sorts of stuff delivered to my email box, from accounts I know are valid customer emails.

They get some sort of virus/trojan/worm on their machine, which grabs their email contact list, and then starts sending junk out to everyone on it. Same thing happens with FB, and AOL, et. al. If you allow them access to your contact list, anybody can get it (along with your email addy).

Most of the stuff is either a virus, or wanting me to join some sort of FB group, porn sites, drugs, scams, etc. They match the persons email addy with his/her contact list, and use that addy to send the crap out.


It's because people do not take care of their email accounts, and knowingly or unknowingly, let apps have access to their email and contact lists.

I have a number of email addresses, that I never use on the net -- they are strictly for correspondence between myself and a known entity -- they have all been compromised by someones bad judgment, IMHO... :sqerr:
 
BTW, Fred, if you are really worried, you could do this ( i wouldn't though )...

create a new email address. In the subject line let the recipient know who you are.

In the text, ask that person to reply to a specific question that only he and you would know the answer to. If he knows the answer, he's in trouble... if not, you have an email address you will never use.

Still, I say it's a scam.
 
Typically AOL users are some of the least computer savvy out there so it would stand to reason that they're the easist to infect with a worm.

I doubt your friend is in need of help. How many people do you know would ask for help with something like that via email? How likely isn't that someone stranded overseas has access to a computer but not phone? *scratches head*
 
Thing was, I haven't heard from this guy in over two years. I'd email him to say hi and ask how they were doing once in awhile but never got a response.

All of a sudden, he's in another country (rather unlikely, knowing him) and asking for money via Western Union (has bad news written all over it).

Wasn't no how ya been, go to hell, nothing. Just a short note out of the clear blue, asking for money. I worked with this guy for several years in the '90s. It just didn't feel legit.
 
Based on you emailing but getting no response, It's possible he may of deserted his AOL account long ago but it's still active on AOL's end and a hacker figured out it's credentials.

I've know more than a few people who have gotten a virus on their computer and just pull the plug forgetting to cancel their internet service.
 
I get emails from myself.. YES they are addressed to me from my own email address.

I called Comcast and they said don't worry about it, that it is most likely some spammers in southern Africa that got a hold of my address and they have their own servers and a program the makes the address it is going to the one that it comes from and to just delete them.

People will open a Spam when it looks like they sent it to them self just to see who really sent it.
 
This sounds very similar to the e-mail I received supposedly from my friend Roberta and her husband Ray who said she had to make a quick trip to Europe and was robbed, now needing me to send her some dough by Western Union.
I knew this was a phony because her husband unfortunately is disabled and he's not going to make a quick trip anywhere.
In talking with Roberta by phone that day to help her sort it out, it turned out that earlier in the day she replied to an e-mail supposedly from Yahoo, saying there was a problem with her account and they needed her login information to reset the problem.
She replied to this Phishing scam and within hours the people in her Yahoo mail address book received a plea to wire funds.
I'll bet your former co-worker fell for the same BS.
 
I had one from a friend a few months ago (almost forgot about it because I use Mailwasher)

but the email said a lot like how you guys have been emailed about sending money for him to get back where...... while I was reading it my mate that was suppose to be 20,000km away was sitting next to me reading the email

he fell of the chair with laughter what a site that was.... should have taken a photo

anyway thats just what spammers want you to believe all crap!

oh and having email accounts like mine I can control them all
especially with mailwasher as well
 
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