Internet Travel Hoax Cons Facebook Friends

now, to our "consumer watchdog" tonight. And this internet scam thriving this holiday season. Fbi reporting tonight with more than 150,000 stranded traveler complaints. And here's abc's elisabeth... See More

now, to our "consumer watchdog" tonight. And this internet scam thriving this holiday season. Fbi reporting tonight with more than 150,000 stranded traveler complaints. And here's abc's elisabeth leamy now. Reporter: It came from halfway around the world. A frightening e-mail that landed in an abc producer's inbox. It looked like it was from a friend. "My trip to manila, philippines, with my family has been a mess. I was hit at the back of my neck with a club. I need you to loan me some money." Was this real or a hoax? Skeptical, our producer decided to play along. "Okay, don't worry." I think I can come up with a few hundred at lea we wired just 20 the con artist picked up the money within hours and complained. "You should have told me you never had any money." But we didn't leave it there. We traced the e-mailer's trail halfway around the world to manila, in the philippines, where an alert western union agent, said that the suspected scammer came into his shop to cash in. "I remember that he claimed money from me in the past." Scam artists hack into your e-mail account, mining it for personal details about your friends and family. Use that information to trick you into thinking they're in trouble. They're preying on what's important on you. Reporter: If you send money, the con artist hit you with other scams. Experts say never send money before making sure that e-mail is really from a friend. Elisabeth leamy, abc news. Great information from