SERIOUS CONCERNS surrounding the leaking of private information of potential visitors to Nigeria have been expressed after an e-mail scam attempt on well-known author and Columban priest, Fr Seán MacDonagh.
Fr MacDonagh, a renowned eco-theologian and author on environmental matters, was targeted by computer hackers last week after he visited the Nigerian embassy in Dublin to obtain a visa for a visit to the country next month.
The fraudsters gained access to his e-mail account and sent out bogus e-mails to all the contacts in Fr MacDonagh's address book. They claimed he was stranded in Nigeria after leaving his passport and money in a taxi, and needed money to pay a hotel bill.
Fr MacDonagh learned of the attempted scam after he was contacted by friends who knew he had not departed for Nigeria. He then sent an e-mail to everyone in his computer address book explaining the situation and apologising for the incident.
Explaining the events that led up to the attempted scam, Fr MacDonagh said he was requested to provide private information to his e-mail provider, Hotmail, just hours after visiting the embassy.
"On Tuesday March 11th, 2008, I visited the Nigerian embassy in Dublin to get a visa for my trip. I was requested to leave my passport and other documents, including a form which included a request for phone numbers and my e-mail account.
"On Wednesday, I received what appeared as an e-mail from Hotmail asking me to update my e-mail within 48 hours or face losing my Hotmail number. I complied and included my password, not realising that the e-mail sent by the fraudsters was a fake".
"On Friday, I began getting messages from friends of mine that they had received an e-mail from me supposedly from Abuja in Nigeria stating that I had left my documents and money in a taxi and that I needed money urgently to pay my hotel bill," Fr MacDonagh added.
He explained that when he accessed his e-mail account, he realised that the fraudsters had changed the password.
"When I tried to access my e-mail, I realised that the fraudsters had changed the password. What was more disconcerting was that Hotmail had no easily accessible e-mail which I could use to inform the people at Hotmail about what and happened and to request them to close down the account without delay.
"If you have received this e-mail, I offer my sincere apologies. Please pass on this message to others who might be thinking of going to Nigeria," Fr MacDonagh added.
Fr MacDonagh also expressed concerns with regard to the security measures adopted by the Nigerian embassy with regard to the handling of private information.
The Nigerian embassy has declined to comment on the matter.