Don’t Fall For ‘Madrid Mugging’ e-mail

Orkney Islands Council’s trading standards service is repeating its warning to look out for e-mails claiming to be from Orkney residents alleging they have been mugged in Madrid, left without money or passports, and desperate for financial assistance to get home.

Trading standards manager, Gary Foubister, said: “In the last few days Orkney residents have reported to us that they have received an email apparently from someone known to them, or from someone with a familiar Orkney name, who has been through a frightening ordeal and desperately needs help in the form of money.

“But the people truly behind the e-mails have obtained email contact lists and can redirect e-mails so that messages appear to be genuinely sent from other people’s email addresses – thereby posing as the ‘victim’.”

Anyone receiving the e-mail should not respond to it and should report it to trading standards at trading.standards@orkney.gov.uk.