Cybercrime

They’re still at it, criminals on the internet, on the lookout for the easy-to-gyp, or the lonely.

The easy-to-gyp fall for hoaxes that come via e-mail, letters such as these. The first is purportedly from Nanding Josef, head of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Pilipino, and it goes: “Apologies for having to reach out to you like this. I made a quick trip to Segovia in Spain for something urgent and unfortunately, I got attacked by robbers at the hotel where I stayed, all cash and credit card were stolen off me but luckily for me I still have my passport with me.

“I have contacted the police, they only asked me to write a statement about the incident and referred me to the embassy, but the embassy are not responding to the matter effectively and my flight leaves tomorrow morning but I am having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won’t let me leave until I settle the bills. Well I really need your financial assistance. Please, let me know if you can help me out with 1,150euro so I can settle up my bills as early as possible and return home. As soon as I get home I would refund it immediately.”

The second is from culture/lifestyle writer and impresario Pablo Tariman: “How are you doing, my family and I came over here to Spain for a short vacation. unfortunately, We (sic) were mugged at the park of the hotel where we stayed, all cash and credit card were stolen off us but luckily for us we still have our passports with us.

“We’ve been to the Embassy and the Police here but they’re not helping issues at all and our flight leaves in few hours from now but we’re having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won’t let us leave until we settle the bills Well I really need your financial assistance of (2000 euro)…Please Let (sic) me know if you can help us out? Am freaked out at the moment!”

I’m told that Sen. Chiz Escudero’s name was bandied about similarly, some two months ago. The e-mail that alleged he was in Spain (why always Spain, I do not know, for the missives arrived way ahead of the Spanish Queen’s arrival) entered the e-mail box of his friend at the same time she was talking to him on the cell phone, how strange can that be?

The idiots behind the cyber-version of the dugu-dugo gang fail to realize how very much passé this has become. In this day and age of private messaging systems on networks like Facebook, and gadgets such as cell phones, the iPad and other tablets, it’s become a simple task to find out the whereabouts of family and friends, kung nasa España nga ba talaga sa Europa, o España diyan lang sa kung saan naroon ang University of Sto. Tomas.

The lonely, well, these are the ones quickly taken in by communication like: “Dear Winner: Confirm Your Winning Number.

“Your e-mail has won you £1,263,584 GBP. from the British Canadian Lottery BC-49 draw held in the UK and Ontario Canada with Lucky 09 21 29 34 46 49 Bonus No: 36. For details of claims: Send us your: Full name, Home Address Age, Sex, Occupation.

“Confirm your winning number with the below link: http://www.canada.com/life/lotteries/lottery_results.html.

“Note: If You Receive This Message in Your Junk or Spam Its Due To Your Internet Provider.

“Yours in service, Mrs. Elizabeth Williams.”
Or, to something like this, which I’m printing in full, awful grammar, misspelling and all:

“Investment Inquiry From Miss. Aisha El Gaddafi:

“Dearest One,

“I am Miss. Aisha (sic) El Gaddafi, one of the daughters of the late embattled president of Libya (Col. Muammar Gaddafi) I am currently residing in one of the African Countries, unfortunately as a refugee. At the meantime, my family is the target of Western nations led by Nato who lead the death of my father at all costs and Our investments and bank accounts in several countries are their targets to freeze.

“I have been commissioned to contact an interested foreign investor/partner who will be able to take absolute control of part of the vast cash available in a private account that my late father open on my behalf here in the country before his sudden death by the western world.

“If this transaction interest you, kindly reply me back immediately for more details on how to execute the project.

“Please one more very important thing here, is that you don’t have to disclose it to any body because of what is going with my entire family, if the united nation happens to know this account, they will freeze it as they freeze others so keep this transaction for yourself only until we finalize it. I want to transfer this money into your account immediately for onward investment in your country because I don’t want the united nation to know about this account of which you are aware of my family problems.

“I have the sum of $30.5 (thirty million five hundred thousand) in one bank in Burkina Faso Called (ECO-Bank).

“Therefore if you are capable of running an establishment and can maintain the high level of secrecy required in this project, kindly reply with the following information for details of the project and please always reach me on this my below alterntative (sic) e-mail address for urgent attention ok:
“( gaddafimiss.aishael@yahoo.fr)
“You are advice to contact me immediately for more details if you are really interested.
1.Your full names and address
2.Your private telephone and fax numbers
3.Your private e-mail address
4.Age and profession

“Best Regard, Miss.Aisha El Gaddafi”

Na gusto ko sanang sagutin, nang: “Neknek mo, lokohin mo’ng lelong mong panot!” But what for, right?

You ask where I get these stuff? Why, from my e-mail, of course. I get sent this by people who presume I’m either easy-to-gyp, or lonely, or both.

I’ll have you know I’m neither. It’s just as well that there are days I forget how to open what on my computer and have to be helped by a family member, who at the same time cautions me about e-mails and letters such as what I put here just now.

When I was a little girl, the deception had to do with trying to sell Jones Bridge to the unsuspecting rich provinciano. In my old age, it has transferred to the internet, so to all of you out there, be careful. Be very careful. –Armida Siguion- Reyna, Daily Tribune

Marami na ang mukha ng krimen. Paiba-iba.
(For comments, write to armida114@yahoo.com)