The BBC is very keen to have a chat with someone from your irganisation, would you be kind enough to email back with a contact number. Thanks
(their name)
Broadcast Journalist
BBC News
Kind of wonder about the typo, I guess it’s possible the BBC reporters type as sloppily as me. I googled The BBC is very keen to have a chat with someone and got nothing to tips me off this is not legit, and the return e-mail is [email protected]
You need to confirm that the e-mail is actually being returned to that address, and that it doesn’t attempt to cover up some other address as it uses a “real” address as a label.
Find the person referred to on LinkedIn and see if they work for the BBC. If they do, email them directly; do not use the return e-mail, as its name is not trustworthy.
Yeah. They may not be on linkedin, but if someone actually is a BBC journalist, googling their name + bbc should make it clear a person of that name really has that status.
At that point, a bbc.co.uk email address (with no reply-to covering it up as someone noted) is a pretty plausible indicator, but you never know, maybe the BBC operates an ISP or something and anyone can get a bbc address…
Needless to say if you represent an organization [sic], but you’re not in charge of it, you shouldn’t randomly give interviews unless you’ve cleared it first with someone who is in charge. A press relations person can help you avoid being ambushed or otherwise being unprepared for an interview.
What would the scam be?
At worst they’ll get your phone number.
If you’re paranoid, then answer the mail and ask what exactly they want to talk to you about and then proceed from there - if you’re really paranoid then Google/linkedin the reporters name. Personally I don’t have time for that and would just answer.
I’m a journalist and I often contact people I’ve never spoken to before - but I usually enclose a bit more detail on what I’d like from them - that’s the bad part about this mail. I can’t say that I couldn’t have mailed a typo like that, but most of all the typo and short message signals someone being lazy to me.
The above. Check to see it’s a BBC journalist, but as far as I know their e-mail scheme is name@bbc.co.uk. Their programmes normally follow that scheme.
What you’ll probably find is that it’s a story to do with the uproar over Ubisoft’s DRM scheme, which is being applied to Silent Hunter V first, isn’t it? They’ll probably want the opinion of a niche community about it to go with the general opinion.
Unless it’s an interest piece about said niche community.
The email address is legit if it’s on the BBC server. Respond and type the <whatever>@bbc.co.uk address directly into the “Send To” field. Unless this person magically got access to the bbc.co.uk servers (or hacked that email address), the worst that’ll happen is an email bounceback or a confused BBC Employee.
I’m still wondering that the irganization is all about. Do they produce and market irganic foods? Perhaps they sell microscopes for spying on microscopic irganisms. Or do they harvest irgans for medical procedures? I’d even settle for irgan makers, there will always be a market for those as long as there are little old ladies that go to church.
Thanks. I googled and she show up on several fronts, including Linkedin and FB with the name and some info about BBC, so unless they are really evil and researched BBC people and use their IDs to scam, she must be ok.
Yeah, you’re right. I’m not too worried, my name and info is pretty much out there for the taking.
Well, could be something along those lines. I just wanted to run this by you, in case someone woud have said, “Oh hell yes, that’s this xxxx scam, man, don’t reply!”
I guess we’ll find out, I replied with my number. I’ll let you know if I become the proud owner of a Lake Tahoe time share…
Maybe I’ve worked for a giant corporation for too long, but where the email says “would you be kind enough to email back with a contact number”, I would take that to mean - please tell me who to talk to for an official response/interview request, and how to contact them. Rather than - please email me back your phone number.
Unless you are the person to talk to for an official response/interview request.
Still it’s very easy to spoof an e-mail. Any hacker could look her up on linkedin and send a mass e-mail out that appears to come from her. Of course, unless they somehow tied a trojan to it, it doesn’t make much sense to send it with an un-spoofed response address.
