New email scam, new twist...

Well, I guess the scam is actually nothing new, but the twist is.  It comes from the legitimate known email address in the name of someone you know.   A hacker accesses a friend's email account and then sends an urgent plea for help to send him/her money.  The name is right.  The address is right.  Just the facts are wrong.  Plausible but wrong.  And the language in the email also sounds a bit stilted, not what a native speaker would write.

So, if you get an email that looks like this, do your due diligence!

----- Original Message -----
From: [someone you actually know]
To: [their real email address]
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 5:23 AM
Subject: I NEED YOUR URGENT HELP.

I am in hurry writing you this short message and I am sorry I didn't inform you about my traveling to China for a program called "Empowering Youth to Fight Racism, HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Lack of Education. The program is taking place in three major countries in Asia, which are Taiwan, Singapore and China. It has been a very sad and bad moment for me, the present condition that i found myself is very hard for me to explain.

I am really stranded in China because I forgot my little bag in the Taxi where my money, passport, documents, cell phone which i have all my contacts and other valuable things were kept on my way to the Hotel am staying, I am facing a hard time here because i have no money on me and the weather is so cold right now. I am now owing a hotel bill of $1,400 and they wanted me to pay the bill soon else they will have to hand me over to the Hotel Management, I need this help from you urgently to help me back home, I need you to help me with the hotel bill and i will also need $1,500 to feed and help myself back home.

So please can you help me with a sum of $2,900 USD to sort out my problems here. I am sending you this email from the city Library, I will appreciate what so ever you can afford to send me for now and I promise to pay back your money as soon as i return home. So please use the details of one of the hotel managers below to send the money to me through Western Union money transfer because that is the only way i could be able to get it fast and leave since he has a valid ID to pick up the money for me from the western union. These are the details below....

Last Name: Olajide
First Name: Abideen Olaolu
Address: 27B Jiang Shi Tu, Guilin, Guangxi, China
Text Question: To whom
Answer: [friend's first name]

After you have send the money, email to me the western union money transfer control number or you can attach and forward to me the western union money transfer receipt so that i can pick up the money fast and leave. Right now, i dont have any acess to phone communications because the phone in my hotel room had been disconnected due to too much bills, i only have acess to the computer at the library where am sending you this email right now.

Hope to hear from you soon. The embassy here has already promised to give me a covering traveling papers that i will need to have my way back home, all i need right now is the money to settle up the bills and leave.

Thanks and get back to me soon.

Sincerely,
[someone you actually know]