Quatloos!

I get this call from a number showing as +6042590409. Some lady tells me that it's a promotion from Google because I am registered with G-Mail. She seemed to have my info correct such as my name, address and email account... She seems kinda pushy too.

Supposedly I have won an all expense trip for 2 to Florida with unlimited mileage car rental and a caribbean cruise with all accommodation covered, but I have to pay a one time registration fee of $259 per person. All I have t do is authorize my credit card. OK, bells are going off in my head, like as if they weren't from the beginning of the call, but something is suspicious.

So how is it they got my info? Well, it's possible that someone may have hacked Google's database or some other site where I have used that email address. I have seen it done on some sites.

Does this sound too good to be real or what? Is it a scam?

It kinda makes that Ramada Plaza Resort Hotel one come to mind, with the foghorn "This is your captain speaking..."

The short answer: this is a scam from the get-go. The "registration fee" of $259 per person, the request to "authorize" your credit card, and the pushy woman are screaming red flags, any of which would mark this as a scam. NO legitimate contest will EVER require you to pay any sort of fee, ask you for credit card information, or push you for a response.

Well, she claimed that it wasn't a contest, but a promotion. But the scary part is that she had my info to begin with. She knew my phone number, name, address and even my G-Mail account. I fear that lots of people would think nothing of it and assume it's legit if they have their personal info correct.

eg: "Hello, Is this John Henry?" "Is your home address 123 Fake Street, Fakesville?" and so on... I didn't tell her any of this at the beginning. She had it right there, and my phone isn't even in my name, it's in a friend's name who lives elsewhere.

Somebody must have harvested it from some SQL database somewhere or something.

Anyways, I do realize that this is a scam. I'm just wondering who is likely to fall for it? Am right about the database hacking, or even possibly a phishing site, or even some disgruntled Webmaster selling the info?

Hmmm. You might try reputation.com's privacy service. (I think, if they can't cause the private data to be deleted, they can obfuscate it by putting other similar addresses for you out on the web.) As for me, when I'm looking for work, I need to have my (mailing) address and (usable -- at least message service) phone number out there....

As it stands, both my wife and I use a common E-mail address; and some of the private information (birthdate) is mine, and some hers.

I only filled out a form to join G-Mail awhile back and filled in the necessary information in the form. Weather they got the info from this form's database or some other site, who knows? The caller only claimed they were from Google, but they could be from anhywhere as far as I know. I mean, I could just as easily tell you that I'm a representative from Microsft, and you could either believe me or don't believe me, but those who do believe me would be suckors.