Phishing Scam Hits Well-Known Sun City Artist

By ABC-7’s Abe Lubetkin

An e-mail scam is hitting inboxes across the nation, even duping a well-known Sun City artist.

The scam is called “phishing”, and can happen to anyone, including John Houser, who made the “equestrian” sculpture outside the El Paso International Airport and has been commissioned to build 12 sculptures across the city.

Earlier this week, Hauser got a message that was purportedly from the “Windows Hotmail Team”, telling him his account would be shut down if he did not resubmit his username and password.

Hauser complied, and the next thing he knew, someone had e-mailed 200 people on his contacts list from his account, claiming he was in England without a wallet, and needing their credit numbers for assistance.

Experts say these scammers tend to make people act in haste, lowering their guard, so they warn internet users to be careful.