Arlington Heights police received a report that an unknown offender or offenders hacked into a business email account, created a new fictitious account and then erased the original account with all the associated accounts — including bank and credit card information.
The victim discovered the fraud when he received an email message from ‘himself’ which was also sent to everyone on his email list. The email stated the victim was on vacation in London, England with his wife and that they had been mugged. They asked for over $1,500 in cash to be wired via Western Union to cover their lost cash and credit cards. The victim notified all his contacts warning them of the scam. It is unknown if the bank or credit card accounts have been compromised.
This can be a successful scam because the information being sent to the potential victim’s appears to be coming directly from a friend or known contact. It is always important to make direct contact with the person to see if they are really in trouble.
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