text in Italics is the scammer
This is why it is so important to keep your email accounts secure:-
Contact details removed for privacy
I received an email from my customers correct email address saying:-
Title = Humble Request
Are you available?
Let me know please.
I replied saying yes how can I help
I then received an email from the same Display Name but a gmail address rather than the original correct email address (so at this point I knew it was dodgy, but anted to get further info, so I went along with it)
Thanks for responding, I am sorry for bothering you with this mail. I need to get a GOOGLE PLAY GIFT CARDS for a Friend (she has Cancer). It's her birthday today but I can't do this now because the stores around here are out of stock, and I tried purchasing online but unfortunately, I had no luck with that. Can you get it from any store around you? I'll pay back. Kindly let me know if you can handle this.
Await your soonest response.
I replied :- How do you want to pay?
I can make a transfer to you ? Thank you very much. Total amount needed is £200 ( £100 denomination) from any store around you and I need you to scratch the back of the card to reveal the pin, then take a snapshot of the back showing the pin and have them sent to me here online.
So I asked the scammer to pay via Paypal to me, the scammers reply
I'm yet to receive the gift card, moreover i mean i can make a bank transfer to your account. Kindly go ahead and get the gift cards and send them to here online with your bank information so i can make the transfer as soon as possible.
I Replied:-
That’s what I am saying:- once you have paid I will get you the gift cards
You know when you buy something online, this is how it works:-
1 Buyer pays for goods
2 Seller Ships goods
I am sure you understand
Still waiting to hear back
Moral of this story is to make sure any email account you have is secured with a decent complex password and your machine is secure, this scammer was in this persons email account and was able to pass him /herself off as the account owner.