Security News > 2020 > December > Does a friend “need money urgently”? Check your facts before paying out…
As you can see above, the scammers, who had access to the friend's account, cut straight to the chase: "I need help paying a bill."
The situation here is plausible - anyone who has ever been forced to take out a short-term "Payday loan" will know that fees mount up quickly for missed payments - and many of us might decide that helping out a friend or family member is something we ought to do.
Interestingly, this sort of "Need money urgently" scam, sent out from hacked accounts, was prevalent a few years ago under the guise of a friend who had been mugged on a trip abroad. Back then, the amount of money was usually somewhat higher - often $800 or more, compared to the £290 above, and you were told to send the money by wire transfer, an irreversible process that is equivalent to handing over cash.
Details were often added to these "Mugged abroad" scams to increase the urgency, for example that your friend would soon be thrown out of their hotel after cancelling their credit card, or was under pressure to come up with hospital fees to pay for the treatment they received after the mugging, or needed ready cash for transport to get to the nearest consulate to acquire an emergency passport.
What's stayed the same is that you aren't helping your friend at all, because your friend's account was hacked, and the money is going straight to the crooks.