[July 22, 2011] Neff's emails hacked, make bogus claim of London mugging Tweet Jul 21, 2011 (The Daily Progress - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Cynthia Neff, vice-chairwoman of Albemarle County's Democratic Party and a candidate for the Rivanna District seat on the county's Board of Supervisors, is not in London. She has not been mugged and she doesn't need money to get home. Several of Neff's email accounts have been hacked and hundreds of bogus cries for help have circulated among friends, family and campaign supporters, Neff said. "I've never had anything like this happen," said Neff. "They hacked into my Yahoo, Gmail, Facebook and iGoogle accounts and sent emails to the lists. Someone replied to the email saying 'Cynthia, I think you've been scammed' and they were sent back a reply that used the F-word. That's definitely not me." Neff said the hackers have locked her out of her accounts so she cannot access the email lists. The lists include contacts from her campaign effort, her position as chairwoman of the AIDS/HIV Services Group board, the Legal Aid Justice Center advisory council, Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population, Court Appointed Special Advocates and personal contacts. "I have hundreds and hundreds of email contacts from the campaign and from other activities," Neff said. "I'm concerned that a lot of people aren't going to recognize it as a scam." Neff's accounts were hacked in what has become a common scam known as "The London Mugging," according to the Better Business Bureau. Once hackers access accounts, they send emails describing being mugged in London while on a short vacation at a park near a hotel and losing all cash, credit cards and even cell phone. "Thank God we have our lives and passports," the scam often states. The scam then claims that police and the U.S. Embassy "are not helping issues at all" and require the person to wait three weeks while the person's plane allegedly leaves in three hours. The scam asks for cash to be sent to a British address and promises repayment of the loan upon arrival back in the United States, a promise never kept. "The thing I really worry about is that people will believe it's real and send money and never be able to get it back," Neff said. "I've had 75 people call and check on me. One friend called the British Embassy and [family] has called me at home and promised to send money." Neff scoffed at the notion that the hoax is being perpetrated by political opponents. "That's ridiculous," she laughed. The Better Business Bureau recommends that anyone receiving a similar email first confirm the friend's whereabouts, including calling home, school or work to verify the friend's location. The bureau recommends that money never be wired and urges people to consider any email that asks for money or for a bank account or Social Security number or a password for banks or email accounts to be a scam. "I'm safe at home and I don't need money. Except maybe for the campaign," Neff laughed. To see more of The Daily Progress or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dailyprogress.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]