* * * * *
                                        
   “I'm sorry I mistakenly sent that to you. By the way, how are things with
                                     you?”
                                        
> The fact that these scammers never include the pitch in their opening texts
> makes them seem confusing and mysterious. But the scam itself is an old and
> obvious one. If you respond (with “wrong number,” say) the scammer will
> attempt to draw you into conversation … 
> 
> This is the first step in what is, at its core, an old-fashioned “romance
> scam [1],” in which the scammer exploits a lonely and/or horny person by
> faking a long-distance, usually romantic relationship. After the scammer
> has gained the trust of their victim, they convince them to transfer money,
> often for an investment; in some cases, the victim can be enticed into
> several successive transfers before they realize they’re being played.
> 

Via Hacker News [2], “What's the deal with all those weird wrong-number
texts? [3]”

I think this explains the weird email I received [4] two weeks ago. It's
either that, or maybe (with low probability given the email sent) a form of
“crypto drainer [5]” as was suggested [6].

[1] https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-
[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31949731
[3] https://maxread.substack.com/p/whats-the-deal
[4] gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2022/06/18.1
[5] https://blog.confiant.com/how-one-crypto-drainer-template-facilitates-
[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31953511

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

.