I got something a few weeks back and wondered how they got my number, but then figured it could just be a random thing.
There's scams everywhere theses days, I had someone from a power company come around to sign us up, they gave a spiel about what we would gain, I said leave me something in writing and i will look at it..... Turns out once i investigated the details he was lying. Subsequently I contacted my provider and said how about a better deal for me as once I had worked out the truth the other co was indeed a teensy bit cheaper ( temporarily), talk to a telephone operator for that company, and he says yes we can do, so I say, provide me the written details.... No problems he says.... Did I get any written details.... NO NO and NO. My interpretation is they lie to you to get your business , very disapointing.
Hi Ric,
Scams come in all kinds of forms. Here's one that scares some people. It originates from Lagos Nigeria. This is a script that is sold from scammer to scammer. It has done the rounds for years.
YOU NEED TO SAVE YOUR LIVE
Attn:
I AM VERY SORRY FOR YOU, IS A PITY THAT THIS IS HOW YOUR LIFE IS GOING TO END. MY DUTY AS I AM MAILING YOU NOW IS JUST TO KILL YOU AND I HAVE TO DO IT AS I HAVE ALREADY BEEN PAID.
SOMEONE YOU CALL A FRIEND WANTS YOU DEAD BY ALL MEANS, AND THE PERSON HAVE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY ON THIS, THE PERSON ALSO CAME TO US AND TOLD ME THAT HE WANT YOU DEAD AND HE PROVIDED US WITH YOUR NAME, PICTURE AND OTHER NECESSARY INFORMATION'S WE NEEDED ABOUT YOU. SO I SENT MY BOYS TO TRACK YOU DOWN AND THEY HAVE CARRIED OUT THE NECESSARY
INVESTIGATION NEEDED FOR THE OPERATION ON YOU, AND THEY HAVE DONE THAT BUT I TOLD THEM NOT TO KILL YOU THAT I WILL LIKE TO CONTACT YOU, NOT SINCE THEIR FINDINGS SHOWS THAT YOU ARE INNOCENT.
I CALLED MY CLIENT BACK AND ASK HIM OF YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WHICH I DIDN'T TELL HIM WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH IT AND HE GAVE IT TO ME AND I AM USING IT TO CONTACT YOU NOW. AS I AM WRITING TO YOU NOW MY MEN ARE MONITORING YOU AND THEY ARE TELLING ME EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU.
WARNING: DO NOT THINK OF CONTACTING THE POLICE OR EVEN TELL ANYONE BECAUSE I WILL KNOW. REMEMBER, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS YOU VERY WELL WANT YOU DEAD! I WILL EXTEND IT TO YOUR FAMILY, IN CASE I NOTICE SOMETHING FUNNY.
The criminal relies on the victim being naive and will demand payment by Western Union. Anything like this mail you can safely delete and forget.
Cheers
The sending of that e-mail or sms is actually a criminal offence in Aus - demand money with menaces, and it should be reported to the police. The police may not be able to do much if it does comes from an overseas address or phone, but if it is generated in Aus (or the same country in which it is received), then the perpetraters can be prosecuted.
The only real way to stop them is to ensure the correct authorities are informed. No one should be threatened to give money.
There really is no effective way to counter these things other than laugh it off and delete it. I used to create a gmail acct and play with them from there but even that gets a bit boring and repetitious. Send them an address from the Antartic or something. Tell them you checked outside and found two frozen mugu's being picked over by a couple of Polar bears ( Yeah, I know, no Polar bears in the Antartic but they don't know that.)
Can be fun if you are that way inclined.
yes i got that SMS too, one day last week at about 4am grrrr 
