BEWARE! Who Stole My Identity? My Integrity?

Many of us take for granted the security of our lives even though we hear the contrary on almost a regular basis today. I am here to tell you BEWARE! In the midst of a normal business week, my life was turned upside down by some mad Arabian in Nigeria. I only know this because of the work of Google and I saw their email address while it was attached to one of my email accounts.

The best that can be determined, sometime in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday August 19, 2010, my business, personal, and two other email addresses I use were taken over through my facebook social site. These social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, and Linkedin do just what they are supposed to do; allow everyone in the world know who you are.

To make a long story shorter, this person or organization sent an email to everyone in my contact list. The note read:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello,

I'm sorry for this urgent assistance request and I am sorry never to have mentioned anything to you about my visit to the UK.

I'm currently stuck in Wales,United Kingdom right now, I came down here on a short visit, it was fun but unfortunately i got robbed last night on my way back to the hotel,lost cash and credit cards, it was such a crazy experience,it was shocking when i had a gun pointed at me but i thank GOD that they never go crazy pulling the trigger, a lady saw them and screamed for help on my behalf. I need help returning back home,i sustained few injuries but i thank GOD for my life and for still having my passport with me.

I've been to the authorities but they are not being 100% supportive but the good thing is that i still got my passports but currently having troubles paying off the hotel bills and getting a return ticket.

I need you to loan us £1,800.00 and i promise to refund it back tomorrow.. You have my word !!!

Thanks,
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First of all, I have never been to Wales, although would like to visit The Open Championship before I die, second of all, I have never been to Nigeria, which is where the email was sent from!! Furthermore, I would have no idea what the conversion rate for US to British pounds was without going to the internet to find out!

Next, He or She took over my Facebook account and was chatting with friends of mine all over the country trying to further scam for money and their contact information. As far as I am aware, thank God, no one made it to the extent of forwarding money!

By the way, my passport expired several years ago!

By 9AM Thursday morning, I had been contacted by six banks, friends and relatives from six or seven states and been cussed out by numerous others. I believe I managed to salvage my bank accounts but, am now many people’s arch enemy. Even when I went to church last evening, the pastor swore to me that I had sent him an email which I referred to above.

I assure to all, I did not send any such email, and if I needed money would have contacted someone in my immediate family.

I am thankful for the many friends and former clients that called to ask what they could do to help me. It was nice talking to you (some I had not talked to for years) but, wish it could have been under better circumstances.

In closing, DO NOT put any of your email addresses in these social sites. Secondly, make sure you use separate passwords for every email address, bank account and any other electronic form of communication. Make sure you change them OFTEN!