It is unknown how many people received the bogus email, but the email account has now been blocked. Recipients of the email are warned not to respond – and not to send any money as requested.
The fraudulent emails began arriving in email boxes on Thursday, but reports today indicate the bogus messages are continuing to be received, despite closure of the email account.
The email message was written in the first-person and claimed that thieves stole Sanguma’s money and passport in the United Kingdom. The scammers asked for money and alleged it was needed to pay a hotel bill and enable the president to return home.
Sanguma actually was in Congo at the time where he had dinner with Keith Gustafson, Department of World Mission country coordinator for Congo. Both emphasize that no theft occurred. Gustafson and Byron Miller, director of the Paul Carlson Partnership, were in meetings with Sanguma today. They continue to work with Yahoo to completely shut down the flow of the fraudulent emails.
The scam is known as phishing, in which criminals fraudulently impersonate a reputable person or website in an attempt to influence email recipients to divulge usernames, passwords and credit card details – or appeal for funds, as in this case.
