With all the jerks out there who have nothing better to do than to steal from people, and the tricky ways technology allows them to do it, you have to be a little wary on how you go about your daily buisness on the internet and with email.

Recently a friend of mine lost $3000.00 dollars to a scammer who sent them an email stating they were stranded in Europe and needed cash quick. Yes, I know..."Oh heck..how can they be THAT stupid??"

Well it was a perfect storm....

The person who claimed to be stranded was a family member who traveled alot and was quite possible that it could be true.
They tried calling them and with no answer, the ruse started to solidify in their minds as fact. They even communicated (via email) once or twice to coordinate the exchange..yeah...I know..but once the hook was set.. only a miracle could stop it.

They sent the money.

THEN...the next day they got a call from the family member asking what the panic was about..what was going on...it was then they realized they had been had.

The money was picked up in the UK at a Western Union..it is gone, there is nothing they can do about it...BUT..we can learn from this and pass on our knowledge to all we know.

Some simple actions that can prevent this if you ever get an email from a friend of family member whi is "in trouble" and needs money.

1. If you get a suspicious email that SOUNDS like the person you know...first look at the email address. If it is NOT EXACTLY like the one you normally send emails to, that is the first red flag.

2. Call other family members INCLUDING the one who sent you the email. Guaranteed if it was true, you are NOT the only one they contacted. If you are the only one who got the email....Red flag #2.

3. Wait a day or so. There is nothing you can do that will make their situation any better in less than 24 hours regardless where they are unless they are being lined up in front of a firing squad as they typed the email. So wait and THINK about it..let your inquiries that were unanswered have time to get answered.

4. If you reply to the email and they reply back, tell them to call you collect, you will accept the charges....THIS is the biggest deterrent. They SHOULD know the number...if they have to ask what it is...you got them. and Red flag # 3

5. If you do realize the scam, contact the local police department, tell them what you have and ask them what you should do. Can you catch this scumbag? If you get an address of the place they want the money sent, (a western union or someplace)..if it is overseas..look it up, call the local police there and tell them what is happening. They might have a slow day and feel like catching a predator. I did it once and was glad the guy got caught! All it cost me was a few extra dollars on the phone bill.

Bottom line, don't react emotionally. Take a breath and a minute to research  and think about it a bit. Make a few phone calls etc.
Again, there is nothing short of Godzilla about to flatten Tokyo that cannot wait a day or so before acting upon it.

Hope this helps some of you in the future...it can apply to alot of situations!!