Faux email: Pastor beaten, needs help

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Members of a local church ministry received an email from their pastor on Saturday informing them that she had been badly beaten and mugged during a trip to London.

She also said she was stranded and would need about $1,600 to make it home:

Just writing to let you know our trip to London,England has been a mess. We were having a great time until last night when we got mugged and lost all our cash,credit card cell phone. It has been a scary experience, I was hit at the back of my neck with a pistol.

Anyway,I'm still alive and that's what's important. I'm financially strapped right now and need your help. As we speak i need $1,650 to add up and sort my bills,don't worry i will def refund it as soon as we get home,the fastest and safest means you can get money to me is via western union,Here's my info:

Receivers Name: Orean Cosby

Receivers Address: 20, Northways Parade, Hampstead,

London , NW3 5EN

United Kingdom

As soon as it is done, kindly get back to me with the confirmation number. Let me know if you are heading to the WU outlet now??
Orean Cosby
Pastor

All along, Pastor Orean Cosby never left the city of Austin.

“I was like, what? Are you serious?” said Cosby, when the phone calls began coming.

The email with the subject line “Sad news….. Orean Cosby” included information on where to wire the money in the United Kingdom.

When Cosby went to check her email, Yahoo! had already caught wind of the hacker and the scam.

“Everything was wiped out. Yahoo! had wiped out the entire account,” said Cosby.

All of Cosby’s estimated 150 email contacts received the email. Cosby is in the process of contacting the FBI and Austin Police, but so far she does not know if anyone fell for the scam.

Cosby’s Mashiyach Ministries has a YouTube channel and website which Cosby thinks may have opened the door for an online hacker.

“After this, I will be diligent in changing passwords on everything," she said.