PM scams

I have had several of these over the past year... just delete it straight away gracesmum...

I've had a good few of these and they are immediately deleted.

Done! (Didn't realise what that thingy was)

You never need to read more than the first line, which will contain a reference to an African country, someone with a disease (usually terminal), and lots of money.

Then you press delete.

Then you empty your trash.

I've had this one too...amongst many others. Bin every time.

Always file away in the bin then empty the trash

There used to be a website where people strung these scammers along, some of it was really funny! I think it was called something like "whats the bloody point.com"

I've noticed a change in our SPAM lately - towards fraud of all kinds. Once upon a time, we had very little. We have gradually seen more, perhaps because a couple of people in our address book have had their e-mail accounts [both Hotmail] invaded by trojans. We used to have a split of scams between viagra, fake goods and financial but, lately, it has been mostly fraud, including the sort mentioned above. Has anyone else noticed any change?

I've never had a spam PM through Gransnet.

Wouldn't they have to be a member to PM someone? gracesmum, did you get the usual email saying 'So and so has sent you a PM'?
What user name was given on the PM?

Oh dear! I have only just worked out what PM means. I knew it wasn't Prime Minister since he doesn't use a false identity. I thought it was something to do with the afternoon but it seems I have a Private Message Box too - which is nice, if pristine and unused. My earlier reply was about normal SPAM so I suppose I should post it elsewhere to phish for a comment.

Yes it was GN private message and that is why I find it an unsettling way to get round my spam filter. I have deleted it from my Inbox so can't do the hand thingy, but I have emailed GNHQ and told them.
The user name was eblessing - so watch out!

That user name rings a bell, gracesmum! Can't recall quite which thread I saw it on...

Oh blimey.

How do you get a P.M. I don't mean on G.N as I know about that. Do you get them in your inbox or what?. Can anyone tell me in simple terms please.

Every site will deal with private messages differently. If you are on Facebook, they will appear with a number beside 'Message' on the left.I get an e-mail to my registered e-mail address when I get a pm on this site. Just to make sure, I click on the 'Inbox' box at the top of the page every day.
If you want to send a pm to a member, find them on a thread and just click on 'Send message' on the name bar above the post.

It is hard to understand how anybody could be naive enough to fall for one of these scams. Yes, I can't remember the site now, but I remember reading how one potential victim lured the spammer in to keep giving him more and more information about himself and why he wanted the money.

pogs I have had a spam email from someone in my ordinary mailbox, not from Gnet,the only place I am likely to get one from. It had the header "Private Message" Nothing about why it was a private message, or from what social network. I did open it and it was the usual sort of spam nonsense, but nothing sinister. I think the header was just to make you open it to see what it was about.

Greatnan If someone has no experience of the internet, has not been exposed to postal begging letters and scams, and all the written letters they are used to receiving are from real people, they do not instantly suspect foul play when they read the terrible plights that these so-and-sos describe, so they get caught up.

Greatnan and Elegran.

Thanks for your help. I do understand the G.N. PM system but I still don't understand.

If I am not on things like Facebook etc., are you saying I could get them in my inbox and how does someone get my e.mail address. I am genuinely interested.

No, if you are not registered on Facebook nobody can contact you.
I am afraid many companies sell lists of e-mail addresses of their customers. Even the DVLA at Swansea will sell names and addresses to some very dodgy debt collectors.
If you get an e-mail from somebody you don't recognise, I would just put it straight into Spam. If you reply, they know they have hit on a genuine address and will badger you.

If we are talking now about e-mail spam and scams, they can arrive in your inbox from surprising sources. A friend of ours recently had her hotmail account invaded, allowing the invader to send scam e-mails to everyone in her address book, including me. The scam e-mail arrived in my inbox as a bona fide e-mail from her but, actually, it contained a fake message, include a link to a presumably dodgy website. I deleted the message and my friend's address from my address book but, of course, the invader now has my web address. I now receive far more fraudulent e-mails than ever before.

Anyone may receive spam or scam e-mails, even the most careful internet users. Treat each e-mail with care, especially if it contains a link to a web address. It is best never to click on a web link unless you are very sure it is genuine.

That happened to me Frankel. My ex-DIL's account was invaded and everyone in her contacts list received emails offering a Viagra type pill, giving explicit details of what it could achieve. The school head, a teacher and a school governor all got the same email, causing acute embarrassment for ex-DIL.