Received possible scam email

[#1]

I have received a possible scam email. I describe it as possible because it came supposedly from a friend and I haven't been able to contact him (no phone number for him). The flow of emails between us started as request that I urgently replied to him, which I did. I then got a request to pourchase for him an Amazon voucher. My alarm bells started ringing, so I emailed back,"Yes I could, but in case this was a scam, please send proof of how he knew me". We have known each other for many years so my friend could quote lots of things of a common history. No reply to that one, so it got no further.

My worry is that whoever has accessed my friends email address book to get all the addresses in it, and my having read the first of the incoming emails, 'whoever' has done the same to me. How can I check he hasn't still got access to my address book, and possibly has something on my pc too?

[#2]

@penneck 

I assume that you have decent security software running on your computer and done a full scan? You could also run a free trial from the likes of Malwarebytes to see if they turn up anything.

I would say that the big risk is that rather than still having access to your address book they have extracted a copy of it and are doing the same as your firend to your contacts. Once this data is gone it's gone.

[#3]

Hello @Baldrick1 ,

I have Malwarebytes and SpyBot S&D, and have run both. Neither found anything.

The thought occurs that the iffy emails must have a real return address hiding somewhere, otherwise my reply would go to my friend, not to the rogue. Is it possible to find this real return address? If so, and if I can read it, should I report this to Plusnet? I assume Plusnet will know which authorities to report this to.

On the subject of hidden things in the email, would the process required to read my address book be traceable so I could confirm that my address book has been accessed?

Thanks for your help

[#4]

@penneck 

There is an awful amount of data in the email address header. I don't know if you have an email client on your computer or use webmail.

I use the full version of Outlook and to look at the real source I open the email then select properties. This shows amongst a lot of other data the source of the email. I woulkd expect this to be a scam. I can't comment on whether your PC has been compromised.

[#5]

@penneck 

Thinking a bit more about this, when you emailed your friend back did you send a separate email or did you commit the cardinal sin and reply to the received suspect email?

[#6]

Forgive me Father, I committed the cardinal sin. I wasn't thinking of scams at that point, though I was puzzled by "my friend" contacting me with such a strange message, so I replied to the suspect email.

[#7]

This is a common scam MO. IMO.

Mail addresses get leaked.

[#8]

request that I urgently replied to him

This is forms part of the scam, to prompt you to make a hasty decision, you are not the first to be caught.

This  "Which" article has some useful advice.

https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/beware-of-scammers-impersonating-your-friends-to-ask-for-gift-c...    

[#9]

Unfortunately this sort of scam easily catches out the unaware especially as the email appears to come from a friend.

I would have thought, though, that a genuine email would give some indication of what the friend's issue was especially as they took the time to write the email in the first place.

This scam seems similar to the mum and dad WhatsApp messages playing on peoples' innocent wish to help others.

[#10]

Hi scams of this type can be reported to report@phishing.gov.uk.

Forward the original e-mail to them and they deal with it. You get an automatic acknowledgement including which authority to report a suspect crime to.

Thackie