(2:54:39 PM) MA friend: Hey Gregg
(2:54:55 PM) Gregg Cameron: hoy!
(2:55:20 PM) Gregg Cameron: you need help? (this was obvious from his status: "needs urgent help")
(2:55:27 PM) MA friend: i'm stuck in london
(2:55:30 PM) MA friend: was robbed
(2:55:43 PM) MA friend: cash and credit card were stolen off me at gun point
(2:55:53 PM) MA friend: i need help getting out of here
(2:56:46 PM) Gregg Cameron: i yi yi
(2:56:50 PM) Gregg Cameron: nasty
(2:57:02 PM) Gregg Cameron: london on
(2:57:05 PM) Gregg Cameron: tario
(2:57:06 PM) Gregg Cameron: ?
(2:57:03 PM) MA friend: yes
(2:57:08 PM) Gregg Cameron: or UK?
(2:57:10 PM) Gregg Cameron: wow
(2:57:13 PM) Gregg Cameron: crazy
(2:57:10 PM) MA friend: UK
(2:57:20 PM) Gregg Cameron: ahhh
(2:57:39 PM) Gregg Cameron: what kind of help?
(2:57:37 PM) MA friend: i need your help please
(2:57:44 PM) Gregg Cameron: sure
(2:57:56 PM) MA friend: i need to get a plane ticket back home but i dont have enough money to get this
(2:58:03 PM) MA friend: i need you to loan me some money
(2:58:10 PM) Gregg Cameron: sure
(2:58:12 PM) Gregg Cameron: how/
(2:58:13 PM) Gregg Cameron: ?
(2:58:11 PM) MA friend: will refund you as soon a si'm back home
(2:58:15 PM) MA friend: i promise
(2:58:32 PM) MA friend: you can wire it to me via western union since i still have my passport
(2:58:39 PM) MA friend: go on www.westernunion.com
(2:59:07 PM) Gregg Cameron: ok
(2:59:30 PM) MA friend: it's explanatory
(3:00:10 PM) Gregg Cameron: yah
(3:00:10 PM) Gregg Cameron: it is
(3:00:13 PM) Gregg Cameron: how much?
(3:00:22 PM) MA friend: all i need is $950
(3:00:30 PM) Gregg Cameron: ok
(3:01:29 PM) Gregg Cameron: umm 950 pounds?
(3:01:50 PM) MA friend: no.. $950
(3:03:06 PM) Gregg Cameron: US?
(3:03:08 PM) Gregg Cameron: sorry
(3:03:15 PM) Gregg Cameron: have to get it right!
(3:03:24 PM) MA friend: yes
(3:03:33 PM) MA friend: 950USD
(3:03:46 PM) Gregg Cameron: OK
(3:03:54 PM) Gregg Cameron: just a sec I'll use my US cc
(3:04:18 PM) MA friend: ok
(3:04:31 PM) Gregg Cameron: you weren't hurt I trust!!??
(3:04:41 PM) MA friend: no..i'm ok
(3:05:15 PM) Gregg Cameron: rattled I'm sure
(3:05:18 PM) Gregg Cameron: nasty
(3:06:30 PM) Gregg Cameron: I'm not sure how to send you $US from Can to $US in UK
(3:06:52 PM) Gregg Cameron: I can try using their 1-800 #
(3:06:52 PM) MA friend: well then
(3:07:05 PM) MA friend: can you go to a store to wire it?
(3:07:21 PM) MA friend: look up the site, find an agent location
(3:07:43 PM) Gregg Cameron: working on it
(3:07:53 PM) MA friend: ok
(3:09:09 PM) Gregg Cameron: do you have your cell?
(3:09:19 PM) Gregg Cameron: are you at the airport?
(3:09:24 PM) Gregg Cameron: hotel?
(3:09:34 PM) Gregg Cameron: I'm just wondering if I can buy your ticket for you?
(3:09:39 PM) Gregg Cameron: instead.
(3:10:29 PM) MA friend: it's a long protocol... since the billing name is different from the passenger, it will take couple of days before i can get board on the plane
(3:10:39 PM) Gregg Cameron: ahhh
(3:10:42 PM) Gregg Cameron: yah
(3:10:53 PM) Gregg Cameron: sorry it's just that Rachael's working and Chloe's napping right now
(3:11:01 PM) Gregg Cameron: so I can't run out immediately
(3:11:19 PM) MA friend: that's why is better if you get the cash to me and i buy the ticket at the desk here
(3:11:34 PM) Gregg Cameron: sure
(3:11:36 PM) Gregg Cameron: I get it
(3:11:41 PM) Gregg Cameron: I'll try phoning them
(3:13:05 PM) Gregg Cameron: did you lose your cell?
(3:15:04 PM) Gregg Cameron: still there?
At this point I'm pretty sure something is fishy so I start calling his cell number and his bosses to see if I can get confirmation of what is going on. Around the boldface text I started to get a bit suspicious because even given the suggested situation this is pretty out of character!! Sure enough he answers his cell after a couple of tries and is totally confused by what I tell him though he catches on quickly!! Sometime during this I finally do a Google search ;-) and sure enough it's already been blogged about. Pretty much the exact same story. So I go back onto Pidgin and his status is idle and he never comes back. I send some text letting them know their scams been detected which on hindsight I probably shouldn't have done yet. My friend asks me to try and login to his Facebook account and sure enough, can't be done. Also, when I look for him in my friends he's no longer there!!! I do a general Facebook search for him and he's still there but I'm no longer his friend. Ha ha!! Pretty smart, they cut you out as soon as you're on to them, that way you can't go in and warn the rest of his friends via a post on his wall.
Pretty entertaining all in all but a big pain for him to lose his account on Facebook. Hopefully no one goes through with the money transfer!!!
Bottomline, keep those passwords secret and make them trickier than 1234!!
GDC
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