February Scam: Fund Diverting

This picture of a sleeping George has nothing to do with the subject of today's blog, which is about email scams. Not cute cats. But most of the readers of this blog expect cute cat pictures.

I've received some interesting scam emails this month, including this one which came in this morning:

From: centurylink <rxthmxyx@fuse.net>

Subject: Re: Dear Century link user,don't ignore this Message,there is HTK4S Virus in your inbox,reply with your Username and Password for upgrade.CenturyLink@2014 Inc

It had, of course, no message in the body. Just the header. You'd think anyone from CenturyLink (not Century link) would use an actual CenturyLink email addy (I disemvoweled the fuse.net one above) and would give a bit more detail about the "virus" in my inbox. It was almost the best example of email scam that hit my inbox this month. But not quite. Meanwhile, here's a picture of three sleeping kitties:

Winner of the best scam of February is Stephen Gianino, who sent an email titled "Compensation, View Attach" to "Undisclosed Recipients" from a granjaregina.com.br addy but wants replies sent to a yahoo.com addy. The png attachment he sent (he didn't even type out the letter!) is this:

Here's my answer (that I'm NOT emailing, just posting here):

So, Stevie, on the off chance you're reading my blog, I'll reply here. How have you seen ("several times"!) people diverting my Social Security and/or my state retirement checks) into their personal accounts? Were you looking over their shoulders? Hacking into their computers? Reading their minds?

These people (I'm assuming there are several since you mentioned "people") must be really good at this because my SS and retirement funds are made into my account every month, and I've been spending this money to live on every single month.

You'd think that the US government or the state of Virginia would have noticed my "funds" being diverted to accounts somewhere in Africa, wouldn't you? Or is it England, since that is where you are employed. The fact that you watched these people divert my funds "several times" and didn't report them makes me wonder about your integrity.

Gosh, these account diverters must have been doing this for a while. For instance, here's a posting of your same letter (and even the same font!) sent on Sept. 12, 2012. The only difference is that your addy is [mailto:albert@hispagate.com]. And here's the same email you sent on Feb. 3, 2012 from your hotmail addy. And, my gosh, here's one from Nov. 22, 2011, but it was sent from an aol addy—and there are others on the same site sent from different addys. Those at least have a "Dear Friend" salutation and you ask for 40% funds instead of "40% them." You've been doing this for a while, now haven't you? It's just mind-boggling all those packets of six million dollars you're putting together. I'm wondering why those fund-diverters only work in $6 million increments. Could you maybe explain that?

Plus, I'm concerned bout the "I have seen in your records that you have spent a lot trying to receive these fund" because I haven't spent a cent, but, yeah, any funds would certainly "help with my financial situation." I'm the sole support of a dozen cats, plus some dogs and an old horse—and those critters all have healthy appetites. Plus, I'm feeding a flock of birds that keeps growing daily. Here is a picture of another  cute kitty:

And you'll send a diplomat right to my doorstep—or the doorstep of anyone these people have been stealing from! In my case, how will the diplomat get away from his diplomatic duties to journey all the way to rural America and negotiate his way through the dog poop in my driveway to get to my doorstep? (We have an elderly dog, who doesn't walk far. Hence the poop. But if I know the exact time your diplomat is coming, I'll rake the driveway.) Meanwhile, here is another picture of cute kitties.

Where is the diplomat stationed and why did he have to arrive in Africa? And where in Africa? It's a big place. I certainly wouldn't want a United Nations diplomat to have to go to so much trouble.

Therefore, on the off-chance that I might not be the person (or people, given all the ones who have received this same message from you) whom you're seeking, why don't we just do this: you send me $1 million in small bills and keep the rest for your fee. You can just stuff the money in one of those priority mail boxes—or whatever the equivalent is in whatever country you're in—and mail it to me. That way we won't have to worry about any fees, etc., will we? (Try to send a box that the cats can use for a bed. They like boxes.)

PS. An investigator with the Ministry of Finance shouldn't have to use a hotmail, yahoo, or aol addy. Why don't you ask your boss to give you an official email addy?

PPS. Did you know that someone named "Edger Hoover" is sending out the same email as you are? are? And he was doing it before you were sending yours? Here and here are some examples. Don't you think his doing that maybe casts aspersions at your integrity?

Anyhow, your little scam isn't nearly as interesting as one chronicled in the classic "Wendy Willcox and Her Dog Willis" scam-buster. That one doesn't have any cats, but it does have an interesting-looking dog.

~

All Holed Up

by Tanner (resident cat)

I haz a cat-tower that I use almost every day. It used to be Dylan's cat-tower, but he doesn't use it much any more, so it is mine. Sometimes I like to sit on top of my cat-tower, and sometimes I like to hole up in it. It has two holes.

Today I holed up. It was a little bit of a tight fit. See?

Sometimes I stick my feet out.

Sometimes more of me sticks out. It is pretty snug in the hole.

Sometimes I hole up in the top hole. You can see some of my toys in the bottom hole.

And that's the end of my tail tale about being all holed up in my cat-tower.

~

Sleeping Cat

The weather today has been warm but rainy. Nothing much is happening, so I'll just post some pictures of George—the formerly wild cat who has discovered the perks of domesticity

One of the perks is sleeping indoors. George likes to sleep on newspapers.

Sometimes he sleeps in the newspaper basket.

Sometimes he sleeps in a box.

 Sometimes he sleeps on the floor.

Sometimes he sleeps near the other cats, who like to recharge in the sunlight.

But he really likes to sleep indoors.

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Big Snow

The snow that started last Wednesday is the third largest snow on record since 1912—at least for Roanoke, which got more snow than we did in Penhook. Our total was about 12 inches, judging from the yardstick I attached to the deck rail.

The snow didn't look like much at first.

As the day progressed, though, more snow fell. By early afternoon, with about an inch on the ground, my husband parked the tractor in the upper driveway.

Soon more snow accumulated and our driveway was covered.

Even though our road was a mess, we drove down to the barn to feed. Walking would have been way too difficult. Here's how the road looked as we drove back.

By Wednesday night, the front porch was covered and snow was blowing under the storm door.

On Thursday morning, the round bales in Melody's pasture were covered. But Melody's tracks showed she'd been eating from them.

More snow fell on Thursday, and again we had to drive to the barn to feed. The county roads were so bad that the newspaper and the mail weren't delivered. 

On Friday, my husband scraped the driveway and part of the road.

The boxwoods out front were still covered.

Cats couldn't get out to do their cat-work.

But late Friday afternoon, the sun came out.

. . . and later the moon rose.

Saturday morning was sunny. We finally got the newspapers for Thursday and Friday along with Saturday's paper.

A little snow melted, but what remained still made cat-work difficult.

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