WARNING: SPAM message coming via TPS email

[Theatre Puget Sound]

Dear TPS Members,

We've been receiving concerned emails from you regarding a message that seems to be coming from TPS, but is in fact some sort of SPAM.

We're working to reslove this issue, so please don't open or respond to this message.

It will look like this:

This email was sent through the Theatre Puget Sound website:
http://talent.tpsonline.org ( http://talent.tpsonline.org/ )
ruth johnson
ruth_johnson77@yahoo.com

Hi,

My name is RUTH JOHNSON, Please contact me through this email address ( ruth_johnson77@yahoo.com ) I have something important to discuss with you. I await for your reply.

Thanks and God bless you.
Your\'s
RUTH.

[Rik Deskin]

Hmmm. Ruth Johnson. Where do I know that name from? Could it be? Is she our long lost anagram? Thur Shonjon? A long-lost viking princess? Hmmm. 

[Craig Bradshaw]

Please disregard my "Members Only" post...I should have scrolled down before posting!

[Karen Lane]

All,
Zach will respond perhaps a bit more thoroughly than me a bit later. Yes, this is a 'phish' or whatever the term may be. The positive, though weird, thing here is that the email is clearly using the 'form' specifically designed for these circumstances - meaning - we can not stop this from happening BUT in using the form from the TPS site - access to your email address is not available. It is a blind form email message.

If you have a public record on TPS - please know that you still have the control to hide/or make visible critical elements of your contact information.  So - you can still have a public profile but hide your personal contact info - AND still allow for people - hopefully potential employers - to contact you. What comes through on the blind form is for you to determine whether you wish to respond or not.

Clearly in this case - one should delete and ignore.
Karen

[Brian Giannini Upton]

Gosh! Silly me...I wish I had noticed this thread before responding to "Ruth". who knows what will become of me...a great start to October!

Cheers!

-Brian

[Robert Barnett]

Brian, You'll probably be informed that you've won lotteries in more countries than you've ever heard of.  Either that, or you'll be offered the chance to buy certain prescription drugs at low cost!

[Lynn Jepson]

You mean I didn't really win the UK, Scotland, and Nigeria lotteries?!!!

 

[Robert Barnett]

If you did, you're sharing the jackpots with about 23,000,000 others!

[Louise Penberthy]

I'm getting all kinds of suggestions about how to help my "member" when it keeps, er, slipping out of my girlfriend ...

[Lynn Jepson]

Now I feel left out.  I haven't been receiving any SPAM like that.


Do you have a SPAM/POP UP filter?

[Scot Bastian]

Once and a while I do something stupid.  When I saw that "Ruth Johnson"  retrieved my email address from TPS I fiigured that, well, she already has my Email, I might as well ask her what she wants.  I received the following response:

Hi,
 
It is my aim to tell you about my life condition,  I am  The  Daughter of  late Chief ROBERT  JOHNSON. I  am  from  COTE D'IVIORE  ( IVORY  COAST )  My father was oil allocation business man. He was killed by thugs sent from his opponent during a traditional king title contest in my community, To become a traditional ruler in my community it is a battle, It is not a heritage to a particular family. It is rotational,There is a lot of challange in my community, to become a traditional ruler in my community it is envious and blood shed. My father was killed two days before the day of their choice to whom become the next traditional ruler of my community, It was a pity that, I lose my father in this race to his enemies. After six months that my father died, My mother develop heart problem and later died, I  am an orphan.
After the death of my parents I face a difficult condition with fear because of  the people that killed my fahter, the want to kill me and take away my father's  heritage.
Since after  the death of my parents my life is not comfortable in my community because of the fear of the enemy that killed my father.  I  was a  university medical student but I  later dropped out because of my condition coupled with political problems in my country.
I  want you to help me to  retreive the money my late father deposited on my name as next of kin. The money is in the security company. My father  told me that, before he died that in case anything happens to him that I should look for sincere and honest foreign partner who will help me to invest the money properly. now I have fund you to be the person. The amount is $800,000  us dollars. Please declear your interest so that the money will not waste there for nothing. I  am  willing  to give you  30%  for  your assistance while  70%  is mine and you will use my  70%  for investment  until  I finish my education.   I await for your reply.
 
Thanks  and  God  bless  you.
Your's
RUTH  JOHNSON.

Yes, I probably never should have responded in the first place, but at least now I KNOW it was SPAM.  I wonder if this person could be prosecuted for "Illegal use of private property (i.e. the TPS site.) or something else.

Anyhow, don't be as dumb as I was.  Ignore this @#$%!.

Scot Bastian

[Lynn Jepson]

Yeah, I've seen that in my SPAM box.

Sometimes they'll steal e-mail addresses of people you know so you're more likely to open the box and/or respond.

[Richard Lorig]

Awesome. I should have known.

My suspicion meter went way up so I didn't reply but I love the Nigerian Email Scams. I have an old collection of them and, despite or because of the ludicrous spelling and grammatical mistakes, they constitute an interesting body of literature.

Years ago I suggested to my wife that we should collect them and publish sometime but someone beat me to the punch. On a recent trip to New York she bought me an incredibly illustrated collection of these at the MOMA bookstore.

Thanks for posting the text of your email, Scot. I will add it to my vault of correspondence from such luminaries in the email scam world as Mrs. Miriam Abacha (widow of the late Gen. Sani Abacha), Dr. Williams Ubi and the mysterious young Brit, Mr. Tony Fred Williams.

[Shane Regan!]

for those easily amused by turning these things around:

http://www.419eater.com

these people reply to the emails and see how much they can "bait" the scammer.  they'll often ask the scammer to write out ridiculous signs and take a picture holding it.  there are some awesome pictures in the "trophy room."

[Karen Lane]

Shane - I don't get it. HOW do they 'make' them send these photos? Yes, I looked. :-) Karen

[Roger Tang]

Inquiring minds WANT to know.

[Shane Regan!]

Shane - I don't get it. HOW do they 'make' them send these photos? Yes, I looked. :-) Karen

What they do is reply to the email saying "i'm interested in engaging in a business partnership with you.  however, first you must prove that you are a real person and trustworthy.  please hold a sign saying 'i am a moron,' take a picture, and send it to me."  most of these scammers are willing to do practically anything if they think they have a sucker on the other end.  it's pretty funny!  wikipedia also has a good article explaining how these scams actually work sometimes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/419_scam

[Heidi Jean Weinrich]

Yeah, I got the same Ivory Coast shpeal. I think the way it works is that the person tells you to go pick up a check somewhere. Then you deposit it in your account and send them a check for their share from you. But the first check is "unreal" - something like that. So by the time you find out the check bounces or whatever - they've cashed your check. Something like that. My Dad used to work in insurance. I'll bet there's a way to catch this person with the police's help - encourage them, etc. and then catch them. Although if they're privy to the TPS website, they may be reading this right now....I was actually just about to stop by my local police precinct.

Heidi Jean

[Lynn Jepson]

I'd say the best thing to do is not to respond at all or at least not give them your personal information.

[Shane Regan!]

Lynn - are you telling me not to include my social security and credit card numbers in my reply to this scammer?  I've made a huge mistake..