Hi, Ya'll.
I am very suspicious about the inquiries that I am getting lately.
I have gotten 2 inquiries (1 for private event and 1 for wedding).
They were both asking for my Full name, Address, Phone Number.
Here is one that I just got this morning:
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Charles Smith <charles_sluv80@live.com>
to orange123go@gmail.com
date Sun, Dec 7, 2008 at 11:25 AM
subject RE: Kindly get back to me asap!
mailed-by live.com
hide details 11:25 AM (18 minutes ago)

Reply

Hi

Thanks for getting back to me so soon, I am okay with the breakdown of your payment for your service including the traveling fees here, And will like you to know that i already have someone helping with the me with my wife wedding grown. I will like you to know that i will be paying to you either via Check or Money Orders and it will be a combined payment together with the person helping us with my wife wedding grown.

So as soon as you get the payment there, You get it deposited in your bank,withdraw the rest funds after deducting your fees out of the whole funds and you will be helping me in sending the rest funds out to the person helping us with the grown immediately through Western Union Money Transfer so that we can commence on the other necessary preparation for our wedding and make the wedding a successful and unforgettable one for everyone that will be coming over. And i will be proving you there info to send the funds to them once the payment as been delivered there to you.

And the Payment will be made out to you soon Via UPS, I will get the Tracking Number to the package (Payment) sent to you as soon as payment is been made out to you.
So If this arrangement is okay with you and if you can be trust with this and ready to help i will like you to get back to me with the required info below...

Full Name on Check:

Contact Address:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

Contact Phone Number:

As soon as this info is been provided i will then be instructing my client to go ahead and issue out the payment to you to the info been giving to us to send payment to. I am highly counting on you with this and pls don't let me down on my happy day..I will be waiting for you soonest response.

Thanks,

Looking forward to hear from you soon with the info to send payment to.


Do get back to me as soon as possible.

The Groom.
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The whole payment through me and me paying other people through Western Union money?
What's this?
And asking me my full name address and phone number? Is it possible to be scammed just with those infos?
I had one similar to this one, but for the private party, too.
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On Mon, Dec 1, 2008 at 7:35 AM, JANE OGREEN <jane_oggreen01@yahoo.com> wrote:



Hello,

I am Jane Ogreen, an International event planner by profession. I need your services, as i want to recommend you to on of my client who is throwing a private get together party for his friends. The party will be coming up on the 23rd of December 2008 and he wants it to held in grand style. I want you to tell me how much you will accept for your services, as i am giving my best to make this occasion a memorable one in a life time.



Client name: Mark Smith
Party Venue: 571 South Morgan Street, Chicago
Party Date: 23rd of December 2008
Number of Guests expected:74
Start and end Time:600pm-10:00pm

Do get in touch as soon as possible with me, if you know your services fall in this category below. so that i can hire and recommend you for this up coming event.
Waiter, Bar tender, Photographer Singer Cake Baker, DJ, Emcee (MC), Video /Camera Man, Body Painter, Dancer, Musical instrumentalist, Bouncer/body guard, Stripper, Entertainer, Comedian, Speaker and Decorator.


Your services is needed, if you are free for this date. then do reply asap.
You can reach me on my line 206-426-5924 so we can discuss more about the gig


Best Regards


Jane.
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I called this lady and phone goes straight to voice mail, AT ALL TIME. never answers.
And I asked her what's her company , she NEVER responsed to that. When I replied to her with quote, she asked me the same thing to forward to her "client", my full name, address and phone number.
Maybe they are taking advantage of bad economy and they know people will take any job nowadays. Am I getting close to be involved in something stupid?
Please help me!

Thanks in advance.

JJ

that is one of the oldest internet scams. usually it involves buying a laptop computer as a gift, and the extra proceeds are to go to someone, or they buy a car, and they send the extra to cover transport cost. of course, its a fake money order or wire transfer.

"Waiter, Bar tender, Photographer Singer Cake Baker, DJ, Emcee (MC), Video /Camera Man, Body Painter, Dancer, Musical instrumentalist, Bouncer/body guard, Stripper, Entertainer, Comedian, Speaker and Decorator."


And I thought I was pretty smart doing lighting, camera and audio all by myself.

Being really honest here,
I just opened up mine 4 months ago, and it's not easy to feed my wife and 2 kids with just a few gig per month. I didn't start with big budget, so we are in need of works.
When I got these e-mails, I didn't think twice about letting these jobs down. I guess despration makes my judgment less clear during hard times.
But when I saw the all Western Union money transfer to my bank account and take my portion and wire-transfer the rest blah blah blah blah... then I was like, wait a minute...
Why do I have to do all this? And why is he asking my full name with address and phone number? Everything is up on my website...? Then I realized it might be a scam....
I feel stupid starting this thread, now I know it's 110% scam...
Sorry, my apology for not thinking twice before I start the thread...
I was just so frustrated...

JJ

the reason they keep using this method of scamming is because it still works. It is good to make people aware of the scam.
anyone willing to send not only that much money, but that much extra money, would want to meet in person. if there is a shred of doubt, mention you can travel to meet them and pick up the money in person. If it were for real, a few hundred in airline tickets would be a small price to pay.

OK, just a few clues...
Bad spelling and grammar - usually indicate this is someone for whom english is a second language, and they are not anywhere close to the location they claim... probably Nigeria or former Eastern Block country typically, although there are other "hotbeds" for these scammers where their chance of getting caught is virtually non-existant.

ANYONE using WU is suspect, either for sending or receipt of funds - there's virtually NO safeguards or controls... Postal money orders are also supposedly being counterfeited... One must be VERY conscious of fraudulent paper instruments.

While it's not as easy as it once was to counterfeit, watch "Catch Me If You Can" (it's an entertaining movie anyway, about one of the best "paper hangers" ever, turned FBI advisor/insider - true story, and fascinating if you're "too trusting"). The counterfeiters have access to technology almost as good as the government (maybe better), so fake/counterfeit/fraudulent versions of paper/plastic/documents are all too possible nowadays. I guess people figure if the govenrment can print money to pay their bills, why can't a creative individual <wink>?

AS for personal information... that second email doesn't seem quite so suspicious, as it's not asking for $$, but... all I'd confirm is the date and your fee and your already listed contact info, if it gets deeper than that, walk away... The danger comes as soon as any "private" personal information gets in the wrong hands - account numbers, personally identifiable information, etc., it's best to NEVER reveal/release ANY of it. It doesn't take much for a dishonest individual or group of scammers to create a profile and rip off your identity - it's pretty scary actually, so less said the beter!!

Nigerian scam that's old as dirt. If you post your services on craigslist, you will get a lot of those.

Nigerian scam that's old as dirt. If you post your services on craigslist, you will get a lot of those.

Thank you. I started to get 'real' gigs from craigslist, but they usually visit my website and email me through my website.
But if I get the email directly to my e-mail account with broken English and broad topcis , I am going to be super suspicious about taking the jobs from now on... or simply ignore it...

JJ

BTW JJ, 571 S. Morgan Chicago (the address given in the email) seems to be a parking lot at the corner of Morgan and Harrison in Chicago which I THINK might be in the middle of UIC or very close to it.
Good way to check a 'scam' from the real deal. Google the address.

Please be careful out there. No need to lose money or anything else. If in doubt, PASS!

Don

Thanks, Don.

I think you are exactly right about the location. Maybe they are having tailgating party, who knows. I am glad that I didn't fall into this too far.

For purposes of clarification, this is my understanding of how this particular scam works:

You receive a check or money order, cut for an amount more than the goods or services you're offering. You're instructed to deposit the check/mo, then send the excess to a third party, perhaps via Western Union. Maybe you're offered an "extra" $200 for your trouble.

After a few days or weeks, your bank informs you that the check/mo didn't clear - it was on a bogus account, insufficient funds, or fraudulant in some way. The bank reverses your deposit. At this point, you discover that although the bank can recover these funds from your account, you can't recover the payment you sent to the third party.

So that's what you're out - whatever "excess payment" you sent along.

As noted above, it costs the scammer nothing except a little time to send out hundreds or thousands of these scam emails.

A variation would be a request for your account number for instant transfer into your account. Then, instead, money is transferred out. This will perhaps be recoverable if you notice it quickly, but may screw up your relationship with your bank, and will be a lot of time & trouble.

I actually got a check with $3700 paid by Harvard Univ. The check was sent from TX via UPS overnight.
I called Harvard, sent them the check via e-mail.
It was very clearly obviously scam. I kept the check and don't what to do with it.
Should it just throw it away? I mean, even if I give to authority, how can they track it down, right?
Not so worried any more. I am smarter than that.

scam the scammer -
tell 'em you didn't get the check... let 'em send it a few more times at their expense...

Since it's an obvious scam, you could also turn it over to law enforcement, along with the UPS overnight envelope (which would have tracking information, such as location sent from, payment method, etc...). There's probably fingerprints on the envelope/check/packaging as well.

Forensic technology if you've got fairly clean evidence (or stupid criminals) can work wonders. It's almost impossible to NOT leave a trail in the modern electronic world, but some people don't think they can get caught - just ask Elliot Spitzer!

I actually got a check with $3700 paid by Harvard Univ.
==

It was very clearly obviously scam. I kept the check and don't what to do with it.


Frame it, put it up on the wall in your office and tell people that you're doing SO well you don't need to cash cheques from Harvard! Or just frame it and hang it underneath your Jackelope.

After a few days or weeks, your bank informs you that the check/mo didn't clear Actually, it can get much worse. I know someone who was led out of the bank in handcuffs and put in the back of a police car for attempting to cash a counterfeit money order. She said a uniformed officer happened to be in the bank when she was going to deposit the money order. The teller immediately allerted the cop and he placed her under arrest. It was eventually ironed out when they determined she was the victim of a scam, but she spent several hours in police custody.

I actually got a check with $3700 paid by Harvard Univ. The check was sent from TX via UPS overnight.Good for you, you scammed the scammers! It's not cheap for them to make fake checks and send them via UPS Red.

Now have some fun and really play these scammers...