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Worst Scam email ever

Posted by Michael Reimer on June 30, 2011 at 8:41am in Web Site Reviews, Internet Marketing and Tech

This is it, word for word.  They couldn't even take the time to mention a specific piece.  I've seen way better.

Good day to you.

I am so excited that I came across of your work on internet search,I
am interested in purchasing these creative artworks from
you.....................

Nature Fine arts

Let me know their various prices.and how much discounts are you going
to give?I will be happy to have these selected artworks hung in our
new home in South Africa.As
well,I want you to take out the shipping cost.I have been in touch
with a shipping firm that will be shipping other house decoratives.

We are traveling from our Seattle home to our new apartment as soon as
possible.On Paying for the artworks,I will be glad to pay you with a
Money Order or Cashier`s check in US funds that can be easily cashed
at your local bank,please let me know on how to proceed for the
payment of the creative artworks.

I will await your advise on how to proceed.Have a wonderful day.

Take care
Kimberly J. Holtzman

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Replies

  • Barry Bernstein July 1, 2011 at 2:27pm

    These scams and others like them are so obvious, they are not even worth talking about.  Without even getting past the heading, anyone would recognize that scam.  "Good day to you?" The found you on the internet but didn't address it to you personally? Anybody buying your work would be asking for photos of specific pieces to chose from, etc.

     

    Btw, this scam goes back to the days before the internet.  I was published in a catalog and I got a letter in the mail with basically the same thing.  A twist on this scam is the gallery from somewhere else asking for a wholesale order.

     

    From time to time I post computer tips, regarding security in the discussion section.  Yesterday, I posted a link to a free addon to block data miners from following you around the internet. I'm sure none of you looked at it.  Facebook has become the biggest entity to follow you around the internet.  Facebook has become so unwieldy in terms of security that a lot of savvy people are starting to drop their accounts.  If you are wondering how you are singled out by scammers it's that they get the info from Google, Facebook, and the thousands of other data miners.  Ghostery is a great little applet.  Check out my post from yesterday.  Notice that when you come to AF Insiders, both Google and Facebook are tracking you.

     

     

  • Carla Bank July 1, 2011 at 2:19pm
    Actually it  is better if you don't respond to their e mails. There's programs they use to get in your computer just through an e mail or chat and once they are there, they have access like if your computer was theirs. They stole my husbands identity that way and he had to cancel his credit cards 3 times. They charged plane tickets to Dubai first class, shopped at best buy for computers and sent e mails to all his address book asking them to lend him money because his sister was in the hospital and and they provided bank account for deposit.  My husband doesn't have a sister so lots of friends called him to let him know so I will just ignore those emails.
  • Jeanne Steck July 1, 2011 at 7:49am

    My husband gets these all the time when he lists tractors or motorcycles on Craig's list. Sometimes he "plays" with the scammer, but mostly just deletes the message.

    Here's his latest...

    Thank you for getting back to me.Can you assure me that it's in
    good state and that i will not be disappointed with it.I'm ready to
    pay your asking price and to be honest, i wanted to buy this for my
    son, but the issue is i am an oceanographer and i do have a contract
    to go for which starts tomorrow and am leaving any moment from now.The
    contract is strictly no call due to the lack of reception on the sea
    area. But I'm able to access email anytime as we will make use of
    laptop so my only quickest payment option is PayPal as i can send
    money via PayPal anytime.Since I'm requesting this transaction to be
    done via PayPal, i will be responsible for all the paypal fee/charges
    on this transaction and if you don't have an account with paypal, its
    pretty easy, safe and secured to open one. Just log on to {paypal}.

    I hope we can make the purchase as fast as possible?
    I have a mover that will come for it once payment clears and they will
    be handling the title for me. So i look forward to hear from you soon.

     

    Needless to say, he did not click the paypal link.  fyi - I removed the link above as a safety measure.

    btw - the motorcycle for the son is pink!

    • Linnea Lahlum > Jeanne Steck July 1, 2011 at 12:06pm
      I like this one. It shows a bit more creativity. WHo doesn't want to help out an oceanographer?
  • Alison Thomas July 1, 2011 at 5:49am
    I always reply to those emails as if they were from a potential purchaser but add the line that "I always provide my own shipping in order to ensure the art work arrives intact" and "due to the many scams that exist I only accept credit cards or personal checks for artwork" and "if you would like to use a personal check, shipment will be delayed until the check clears"  I never hear back.
  • lori kay June 30, 2011 at 12:36pm
    I got one of these a couple of months ago, knowing it was a scam I sent them back an email saying that their email had been forwarded to the attorney general. I haven't gotten another email since.
  • Michael Reimer June 30, 2011 at 11:26am

    There is no doubt this is a scam.  All you have to do is google part of the email like....."am interested in purchasing these creative artworks from" and you'll see lots of other people who have reported the same thing.  

     

    If someone was unfortunate enough to fall for it, you get a fake money order for more than the total cost and then they want you to send them the difference.  That's the scam, not them getting your art work.

  • Carla Bank June 30, 2011 at 10:14am

    Hi Michael, And it gets better! They sent me the famous "money orders" without even giving them my address, I don't even know how they got it from!

    These are obviously counterfeit and each one of them is for less than a thousand. After investigating about them I read the reason why they sent them under 1,000.00 dlls is so that the post office can cash them right there with your ID. But as soon as you give your ID and get the money you become part of the fraud. The scammers  will have your art already at the time of investigation. I reported it to the FBI fraud site, they have a special site for this where you fill a report. You have to keep every e mail and money order because it becomes "evidence". Too bad the FBI never contacted me back. I just keep the evidence just in case. Sad right??301639343?profile=original

    • Jacki Bilsborrow > Carla Bank June 30, 2011 at 10:18am

      Carla, those money orders look real.  How could anyone tell the difference?  I don't think it is fair for an unsuspecting person to be considered part of the scam.  That just doesn't seem right.  Were you sent these in payment for specific merchandise?  This could be very scary.

      Jacki B

      • Carla Bank > Jacki Bilsborrow June 30, 2011 at 10:26am
        No Jacki, I never did. They were just "so generous" to send me these money orders. They found my art in the internet and who knows how they got my address, they wrote as a "normal" client but their "generosity" never made sense and you could tell they had no idea about art. And of course the e mails were misspelled. Scary...
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