Travel related email scams

Posted by Nomadic Narrative on 10/08/08 • Categorized as building character,nomadic life,nomadic women

I remember that campy 1970s-looking postcard with the guy on the beach during what looks like spring break. He’s thrusting a can of a beer in the air and the speech bubble says: “SEND MONEY!”

Clearly, this debaucherous cry for help was directed toward his parents. At least asking a family member for a handout is a legitimate way of getting funds. (Family members please don’t respond.) A friend of mine recently showed me a new travel scam. (Wait, this is not the clearest segue into my next point, but anyways…)

It was an email from a friend (the hotmail address contained the first and last name of this person) asking for money. The email explains that our friend is stuck in Malaysia, has lost all of her identification and belongings in a taxi, and has racked up thousands of dollars in hotel bills. This particular friend travels constantly, so it seemed realistic—except perhaps for the 4-digit hotel bill.

It would have been easy to copy the information and run down to Western Union as instructed before checking into the situation, especially since you think you’re helping a friend.

We have to be careful with our personal information. Blogging and using personal networking sites are great, but if you’re new to the medium, definitely take some time to read up on how to protect yourself from prying eyes.

Here are two Web resources that talk about this “friend in need” scam: