Warning to everyone in general

It’s not often you get an art scam and maybe this is only one by association, still nothing like throwing a scare into everyone.

This email came to us yesterday from a Hye Rim Lee.

Hope things are good with you? I am sorry I didn't inform you about my traveling to Africa for a program called "Empowering Youth to Fight Racism, HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Lack of Education, the program is taking place in three major countries in Africa which are Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria. It as been a very sad and bad moment for me, the present condition that I found myself is very hard for me to explain. I am really stranded in Nigeria because I forgot my little bag in the Taxi where my money, passport, documents and other valuable things were kept on my way to the Hotel am staying, I am facing a hard time here because I have no money on me. I am now owning a hotel bill of $1300 and they wanted me to pay the bill soon else they will have to seize my bag and hand me over to the Hotel Management., I need this help from you urgently to help me back home, I need you to help me with the hotel bill and i will also need $1400 to feed and help myself back home so please can you help me with a sum of $2700 to sort out my problems here? I need this help so much and on time because i am in a terrible and tight situation here, I don't even have money to feed myself for a day which means i had been starving so please understand how urgent i needed your help. I will appreciate what so ever you can afford to send me for now, Please let me know on time so that i can forward you the details you need to transfer the money through Money Gram or Western Union. Have a great easter. Best Regards, Hye Rim

Yes it’s just the old Nigerian shuffle in a new unnerving disguise – this time they use the names of people you actually know. Ok, they shifted Hye Lee Rim's name about a bit, and the Yahoo address they used wasn’t anything like the right one. Still, after an opening, tired and befuddled...