CASTRIES, St Lucia, Jun 12, CMC – The St. Lucia government Tuesday distanced itself from an electronic mail purporting to come for a senior minister pleading for assistance after allegedly being mugged while on vacation with her family in Spain.
In a statement, the Office of the Prime Minister said it had become “aware of an email sent out from the personal account of Emma Hippolyte, Minister for Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs requesting assistance after being mugged while on vacation with her family”.
It said that while many St. Lucians may be aware of this ongoing scam designed to extort money from unsuspecting individuals,” the fact that this message is coming from an address we are all familiar with, may lead to a positive response given our genuine love and concern for the safety of our Minister.
“The Government of St. Lucia wishes to advise that this email was not sent by or on behalf of Minister Emma Hippolyte and may be as a result of the Minister’s account being hacked into or compromised in some other way. As such, the public is urged to discard the email and ignore the request, as the information contained therein is bogus.”
The government statement said that Hippolyte, who was elected to Parliament in the November 28 general elections last year “apologizes for any fear or alarm that may have resulted upon receipt of such disturbing news and thanks all for the outpouring of concern about her well-being”.
The statement said that the minister “is currently in London, England on State business and is due back on island on Thursday June 14”.
