Date: April 21, 2009
My very close friend,
Lynden Libres, who is from the Philippines and now living/working in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, popped up on my Yahoo Messenger (using her Yahoo account) and sent me a message that she was mugged in London today. She was asking me to help her and send her money.
Here's the full conversation of the scam attempt. Some sentences I used are in Cebuano/Visayan (one of Filipino local languages or dialects) to verify if I'm dealing with the real person. By the way, my name is John Raul II and "Comini" is my nickname.
Lynden Libres: Hi
Comini:
Comini: good morning Lynden
Comini: musta na!
(how are you?)Lynden Libres: I need your help John
Comini: sure let me know
Lynden Libres: I am stuck in london
Comini: London, as in sa UK?
Comini: how can i help
Lynden Libres: yes
Lynden Libres: i was mugged this night with a gun
Comini: seriously??? O.O
Lynden Libres: they collet all the money on me
Lynden Libres: and my card
Comini: naa nakay nacontact na family member?
(Did you contact any of your family member yet?)Comini: OMG!
Lynden Libres: they only left me my passport
Lynden Libres: and right now i don't have a dem on me
Comini: oh my
Comini: asa ka karon ga net?
(Where are you connected through the Internet now?)Comini: naa naka nacontact na family member? imong ate ba or parents?
(Did you contact any of your family member yet?)Lynden Libres: i am in a local labery
Lynden Libres: you are the only one i am telling this
Lynden Libres: i need to book my flight ticket back home
Lynden Libres: and also pay the balance of the hotel bills
Lynden Libres: So i want you to loan me some bucks
Lynden Libres: i would pay you back when i get home
Comini: omg, how can i help you. i dont have money for the moment i will try to seek help from others, ok? can you please try call me please on yahoo
Comini: also, is there a way for me to reach your family member -- they should know what happened first and foremost.
Lynden Libres: i don't have my address book with me
Lynden Libres: anymore they took it
Comini: lynden oi, nakulbaan man ko nimo oi.
(Lynden, I'm worried about you.)Comini: wala ka kamemorize sa number ba sa imong ate or parents?
(Do you memorize any of your parents' cellphone number?)Lynden Libres: so there is no way you can borrow me some cash
Comini: tawagi ko bi? i dont have ideas as of the moment, wala man ko nagause ug paypal. but then, i will do whatever i can from my friends and see what they can do. you need urgent help.
(Call me please... I don't use PayPal...)Lynden Libres: or let me know how much you can help mewitj
Comini: unsaon man nako pagpadala? ug asa dapit.
(How can I send you the money and where?)Comini: nagseek nakag help someone dira like a fellow Filipino or embassy something?
(Did you try to seek help from someone there like a Filipino embassy or something?)Comini: asa imong exact location karon, please give me.
(Where is your exact location, please give me)Comini: lynden?
Lynden Libres: John so there is no way you can loan me
Lynden Libres: some money
Lynden Libres: ??????????????????
Comini: istoryaha kog bisaya bi. kailangan nako iverify nga si lynden jud ni. maningkamot kog pangita ug tabang for you.
(Please talk with me in Cebuano/Visayan language [our local dialect in Philippines where she grew up, and the one we use when we converse on Yahoo ALL THE TIME]. I need to verify if you are really Lynden. I will try to seek help for you.) Comini: but then, let me know how to reach you and how to send money to you Lynden
Comini: and where your exact location is
Lynden Libres: i don't have a phone or where to call me
Lynden Libres: and i don't have any money on me
Comini: yes but i need to know where you are and where to send the money
Lynden Libres: and you can send the money online
Comini: i will seek help
Comini: to where
Lynden Libres: western union
Lynden Libres:
www.westernunion.comLynden Libres: Lynden Libres
Comini: exact location?
Lynden Libres: ADDRESS- 103 Harley Street
Lynden Libres: CITY- LONDON
Lynden Libres: COUNTRY- UNITED KINGDOM
Lynden Libres: ZIP CODE- W1G 6AJ
Comini: is this really Lynden? pagbisaya lynden beh pls. i need to verify pls.
(Please use Visayan/Cebuano language pls. I need to verify pls.)Comini: lynden?
Lynden Libres has signed back in. (4/21/2009 7:35 AM)
Lynden Libres: i need to leave here tomorrow
Lynden Libres: You there john?
Comini: yes
Comini: bisayaa ko pls
(Please use Visayan/Cebuano language pls)Comini: speak in our local language
Comini: i NEED to know that this is Lynden. this isnt funny and im going to seek help from people.
BUZZ!!!
Comini: bisayaa ko lynden
(Use Visayan/Cebuano language, Lynden!)Comini: pleeease nakulbaan najud ko
(Please, I'm very worried now.)Lynden Libres: John mo bang sabihin ay hindi ninyo beleave ako????
(Comment: To me, this appears to be an English sentence translated to Filipino language using Google Translate or similar service. The grammar is broken and this language is not our local dialect! Cebuano/Visayan is different from our national Filipino language)Comini: bisaya lynden
(Visayan/Cebuano Lynden...)Comini: bisaya na language
(Use Visayan/Cebuano language)Comini: this isnt you talking
Comini: what is your middle name?
(Comment: Correct answer is ALGABRE)Comini: and also, what middle name we have in similar???
(Comment: Correct answer is REPOLLO) Comini: we BOTH know this
Lynden Libres: Algabre --
(comment: this is CORRECT answer)Lynden Libres: that my middle name
Comini: took a long time eh?
Comini: what is the middle name we have in SIMILAR
Comini: kabalo ka ani Lynden
(You know this, Lynden.)Comini: also, asa ta dapit nangadto sa Samal, unsay pangalan sa beach resort
(Where did we go in Samal Island recently, and what is the name of the beach resort? [Reference is on my blog post here about this recent outing when she visited Philippines last Christmas])Lynden Libres is typing a message.
Lynden Libres: Fave
Lynden Libres: ano ang kahulugan ng lahat ng ito fucking qust kung nais mong tulungan ako ng tulong
(This sentence in Filipino language, not used by REAL Lynden and grammar is broken. It means "So what is the meaning of this fucking thing. You want to help me or not?" -- The real Lynden would never use swear words!!!)Comini: you are NOT lynden.
Comini: she doesnt use that language
Comini: and your answer is WRONG
Comini: so please dont scam me out!
Comini: this chat will be recorded and your IP will be reported. i am a hacker and i know where your IP is coming from and your location!
Lynden Libres has signed out. (4/21/2009 7:53 AM)
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I tweeted about this event and tried to seek help from my followers who could be any person anywhere on Earth. I realized how useful Twitter is during this event!
@freitasm A New Zealander man named Mauricio Freitas, an administrator of GeekZone.com, whom I learned about when I entered an
HP laptop contest last December on his tech forum, replied back onTwitter and provided me some helpful link that gives me basis on how to decide about this nerve-racking event. He gave me this link:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/20/latest-facebook-scam-phishers-hit-up-friends-for-cash/ and hope all of you who read this be warned about this latest modus operandi on Facebook.
Also, a twitter person named
@_____michelle__ (I don't know who this person is but whoever you are thank you for helping) replied back on Twitter on what to do with regards to the event while it was still going on. She tweeted me these messages:
@anmjoven Tell her to go to the nearest Police Station and phone you from there
@anmjoven
http://australia.embassyhom...
@anmjoven Tell her to phone or go to the Australian Embassy immediately after she has reported the incident to the Police
I already have announced this to my friends on Facebook. Other friends of mine could be scammed by this same group of people as well.
Check the screenshots below about this event.
To the people who tried to scam me, I only have few nice words for you: Get a life!
Shortly after the chat, they were not satisfied yet and they sent me an email asking me to send money to them. Good news is that I dont have any. Man, I am so happy I'm a geek.
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