Source: District Attorney of Santa Barbara
Email Scam: “Can you help a friend?”
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley is issuing a warning about an email scam currently targeting our community. The scammer gains access to the victim’s email account, including the victim’s contact list.
The scammer, pretending to be the victim, sends emails to everyone in the contact list asking them to purchase gift cards to help someone in need. Many people in Santa Barbara have been victimized by this scam.
If you receive such an email, contact the alleged sender directly to see if he or she actually sent the request. If you are a victim of this scam, report to the FBI by going online at www.ic3.gov.
What? “Many people in Santa Barbara have been victimized by this scam.” Who do they send the gift cards to? Doesn’t make sense how this could possibly work…
People are idiots