This is truly scary!

**Jaded** · 09-18-2007, 01:15 PM

I got an email that was OBVIOUSLY a Nigerian scam, saying they had put me into their will for many millions of dollars. I replied back, asking them to tell me my name. They replied back with the name (not my name) on my email.....BUT they had my county and state right, and MY CORRECT UNLISTED PHONE NUMBER!

I'm very careful NEVER to put that number online unless I'm on a secure site with someone like my bank or cc company. I never use my true phone number or DOB for any other site.

I've reported them to both Hotmail (where it came from) and Gmail (where it was sent) and told them the situation with the phone number.

This is truly frightening! I'm thinking of changing my phone number.

**baxjul** · 09-18-2007, 01:17 PM

That is horrible!

**Jaded** · 09-18-2007, 01:39 PM

Would you change your number, Julie? I'm thinking that if I call the phone company and tell them what happened, maybe they won't charge me for changing it? Especially since my internet is with them also. I hate to do it, but I'm afraid now that they will be charging things to my phone.

**Jaded** · 09-18-2007, 01:58 PM

Well, I'm not taking any chances. I changed my phone number. Great. Now I just have to call or write everyone in the country to tell them the new number. I refuse to send it through email, because that's probably how they got it, cracking into my email account.

Wonderful....now I'm even more paranoid about the internet.

**mikandmari** · 09-18-2007, 03:19 PM

It's amazing. I work at a bank, we have ~classes~ to keep us up to date with the latest fraudulent tricks of the Nigerians. These people even have handwriting tendencies that we watch for.

Most people, myself included, have publicly listed names & telephone numbers. Email addresses aren't too hard to get, most people have several. Every single ad I've ever placed on Craigslist has been responded to by a Nigerian scam.

I'd say the best defense is the 'delete' button.

However, I do check our credit reports 3 times yearly (the amount given free) although I myself rarely open any new accounts or make any changes. So, I'm a bit paranoid myself

and a little paranoia never hurt anyone!

**frugalfoster** · 09-18-2007, 03:25 PM

Wow that is scary....I've never heard of these scams. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

**Cricketlegs** · 09-18-2007, 04:33 PM

Type in "how to find someones phone number" and see what you get..name number, address, morgage info, all previuos addresses,criminal record...for a small fee you can get anything that is public record...

**boogiemum** · 09-18-2007, 04:43 PM

Your unlisted number is with the same carrier as your internet? That is how they found you. When you responded to them you also sent them your IP address, which is to some extent searchable and linkable to you phone number.

**Droppedonmyhead** · 09-18-2007, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by boogiemum

Your unlisted number is with the same carrier as your internet? That is how they found you. When you responded to them you also sent them your IP address, which is to some extent searchable and linkable to you phone number.

I have a feeling you are right. . .they got it when you responded back to them. They were phishing and you bit.

VERY SCARY!!!!

**Mom23boys** · 09-18-2007, 07:40 PM

WOW! That is scary! I don't blame you for changing your phone number. They would've probably started calling you too.

I guess the best thing to do is delete these messages.

**Dancing Lotus** · 09-18-2007, 08:18 PM

My parents were hit with one of these scams. Theyare selling their house and a "woman" wrote that she loved it and was going to send them a deposit for 30,000 plus 8,000 for them to give to her broken. WHAT?!? I dont think so. My dad wrote back and told her he wasnt comfortable with that and she would have to give the money to her broker herself. He never heard back for her.

I wouldnt worry to much about it. THey try any target they can find and if you dont bit they just move on. I doubt you will hear anything from them again.

**frugalfarmwife** · 09-18-2007, 11:04 PM

That's what the spam button is for, I never reply to them, have gotten way to many of them in the past and honestly, they can get nasty/dangerous if you mess with them. There was one woman that strung them along FOREVER with a horse sale, it was actually hilarious, they sent her the cashiers check for the horse and she kept making excuses for not getting to the bank with it (sick dog, sick kid, dog ate the check, send a new one).

I honestly wouldn't worry about it, phone numbers are something everyone has, heck ours is still even listed in the book.

kj

**Jaded** · 09-19-2007, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by Cricketlegs

Type in "how to find someones phone number" and see what you get..name number, address, morgage info, all previuos addresses,criminal record...for a small fee you can get anything that is public record...

Yes, but you have to know their name. They did not have my real name.

**Jaded** · 09-19-2007, 12:20 PM

I've contacted Verizon, and they say that NO WAY did they get my phone number from them, because unlisted numbers are not put into any but a very secure database, and that database has not been hacked anytime lately.

I think that it was probably a trojan that was sent to my machine not long ago. I found it because my machine kept running when it wasn't being used. It probably searched my emails for phone numbers, found one where I had sent it to someone, and got it from there.

From now on, I will not open these emails. I was just spoofing them, but obviously, some of them have trojans built in to the messages.

I also went through all my emails and removed any that had my phone number on them. Not that it matters, since I don't have that number anymore, but just to be safe.

**Libby** · 09-19-2007, 07:19 PM

I think they just traced your IP regardless of if you've emailed your phone # to anyone. It sounds like a scam to me and I just delete that stuff all the time except for some reason, someone out there REALLY thinks I 'need' Viagara