Manama: A Bahrain-based Pakistani diplomat had the shock of his life when he was bombarded with calls from ministries, embassies, diplomats, family members and friends after they received an email claiming he was injured in an accident in Edinburgh, Scotland, and needed funds for urgent treatment.
Deputy Head of Mission Aurangzeb said that the email was sent from his personal account and appealed to his contacts to help him pay hospital bills.
The diplomat purportedly pledged to pay back the money once he returned to Bahrain, Gulf Daily News reported on Sunday.
"I am writing you this message from the hospital desk in Edinburgh, Scotland," the email said. "Something very dreadful happened to me, I am sorry I didn't inform you about my trip to Edinburgh for an empowerment programme. Unfortunately, for me, I had an accident where I sustained minor injuries. I am still in the hospital due to financial constrains to settle my bills. I had misplaced my bags and personal belongings. I will appreciate it if you can assist me. I need to pay the bills and make arrangement to get back home. I need you to loan me £2,650 to pay bills and get myself back home. I will repay you as soon as I get back home."
Aurangzeb said that he received numerous calls to ask whether he was still in Scotland and whether he still needed money to pay his bills.
"I informed them I was in Bahrain and I did not send any mail asking for money," the diplomat said. "It's really embarrassing and I would like to tell all the people that it is not me who is asking for money and they must not trust such emails. These are spam mails sent by hackers, so I would request people to ask before taking any action," he said, quoted by the daily.
