This is a scam

This showed up in my inbox this morning. If you ever run into anything like it, be advised: it's a pretty classic scam. The idea is to make you so scared/worried/concerned that you'll send money before you have a chance to find out that the person who supposedly sent the request is actually still sitting on their couch at home and has no idea that this e-mail even exists. (The same scam can actually be done over the phone, but that's more work and less reliable, so it seldom gets done that way anymore.)

I really don't mean to inconvenience you right now but I made a quick trip to Scotland UK and had MY bags stolen, in which contains MY passports and credit cards. I know this may sound odd, but it happened very fast. I've been to the embassy and they're willing to help us fly without our passport but I just have to pay for my tickets and settle some bills. Right now I'm out of cash plus i can't access our bank without my credit card here.I've made contact with them but they need more verification.I was thinking of asking you to lend me some funds now and I'll pay back as soon as I get home. We need to get on the next available flight.

Please reply as soon as you can if you are ok with this so I can forward the details as to where to send the funds. You can reach me via Carmelite hotel's desk phone if you can, the number is +447035907125 or via my alternative email {there used to be an email address here}.

I advise contacting the person who supposedly sent the e-mail immediately, so that they can get in touch with friends, family, and mailing lists to make sure nobody gets taken in. Changing the passwords on your e-mail accounts is also recommended.