<p>I’m posting this b/c some CC’ers are connected via FaceBook. </p>
<p>There is a scam where someone hacks into your account, and chats up your friends, pretending to be you. They tell a sob story of being mugged in a foreign country, no money, etc., and can you please wire them money via Western Union.</p>
<p>Beware!</p>
<p>I actually chatted on Facebook with someone masquerading as a friend and perpetuating this scam.</p>
<p>Apparently it’s been going on for a couple of months. You’d think FB would send out a friendly warning or something.</p>
<p>I guess, ultimately, most people wouldn’t be taken in to the point of actually sending money to an address in London or Nigeria. LOL. It’s just that you expect your “friends” to be who they say they are. Only your friends have access to your info. </p>
<p>Supposedly.</p>
<p>Actually this has been going on for a couple of years.</p>
<p>This happened to a co-worker’s husband a good while ago. (No one believed it was him, so no money lost.)</p>
<p>Western Union agents try to catch these sorts of things, but unfortunately, many people hesitate to answer their questions (e.g. “Have you actually talked with the person who is claiming to have been mugged?”). Equally as unfortunate, Western Union agents are not employees of Western Union, and they sometimes are inadequately trained or view their Western Union responsibilities as secondary. If anyone ever has a question or a doubt about sending funds through Western Union, it’s best to call Western Union directly…they have fraud specialists who are trained not only to recognize the scams, but to talk individuals out of sending money if fraud is suspected.</p>
<p>We just recently received a fraudalent e-mail from Western Union with an apparant phishing scheme.</p>
<p>A lady in my church had this happen just a couple months ago - but it wasn’t via Facebook. Someone called her on her cell phone claiming her “grandson” was arrested in Canada and had his phone taken and needed money wired to him.</p>