dan_tripp Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p><strong>I am almost 100% sure this is a scam so I wanted to check with everyone else and see what I should do. Here is email one from the bride:</strong></p> <p><em>My Name is daniela cruise, My friends call me "damsel" I am 27yrs of <br />age. I'm from (missouri/springfield).but presently im out of town. My fiance and i will be getting married on the 20th feb 2009, we would be needing your service to make our Wedding a <br />success and we are also ready to pay any traveling expenses that will cost <br />you to get to the location....</em> <br /><em>We require the best on our wedding event <br />because we want the best for our guests and our well wishers. We are expecting at most 40-45 guests on our wedding day because most of our families are around the State.Kindly get back to me if you would be available with your price,So we can make arrangement for the payment Asap... <br />Looking forward to hear from you soon. <br />The bride, <br /> daniela</em> </p><p> <strong>We had many more conversations, but they all lacked details. Finally I told her I will not go on unless we talk on the phone. She said they are out of range. I sent her a contract and here is the last email:</strong> </p><p> <em>Hello , I am glad the payment will be delivered to you. It was sent by the issuing client managing the company's housing allowance with the payment approval and confirmation I got just now. Report is reaching me there was an over-statement on that Check sent to you including payment for other service towards the wedding preparation and arrangement. Please confirm to me if the amount on the Check is $2,550.00 Have it deposited at your bank, deduct the actual amount for your service and get back to me with the booking receipt ( a scan copy receipt ). I expect no disappointment with my booking. Also will let you know how to treat the excess amount on the Check.</em> <em>Thanks for the usual understanding and openness. Hope to see the effectiveness of your service soon.</em> <em> Regards</em> </p><p> <strong>My most expensive package is $1100. She sent a UPS tracking number today and it will be delivered to me today. I read about another scam that someone posted on Photo.net very similar. I also talked to someone who said this happened to a friend and when they said they would contact the police, they had threats. What should I do????</strong></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irusan Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>The threats are harmless but, yes, it's a scam.</p> <p>The check they send is bogus (albeit an excellent bogus check). Youdeposit it and send them the overage. A few days later, the bank calls you and says the check is fake and that they debited your account for it. Of course, you've already sent them the balance.</p> <p>And now you are out of pocket for the extra money you sent them.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irusan Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>Of course, there is no reason whatsover you need to tell the "client" that you are going to the police.</p> <p>They send it UPS because they know that if they send via the USPS, they are facing additional charges from the Postmaster General.</p> <p>What should you do? Take the check, frame it, and mount it on the wall in your office. Better yet - take it to the police or call the FBI. What should you NOT do? Cash it.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daverhaas Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>If they are in "range" of a computer and the internet, then they are in range of a telephone.</p> <p>You went a lot farther on this than I would have. Contact police, attorney general (state), FBI - Don't tell the scammer that you're doing that. If she has provided you with details on the ceremony location, call them and see if there is a wedding booked there on the date time ,etc.. find out name and contact info - Explain to them that you think you're being taken and want to find out for sure.</p> <p>"Hope to see the effectivness of your service" ?? What the heck? No one I know talks or writes like that. The only effectiveness they want to see is how fast you get them the real check from your account.</p> <p>Dave</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nishnishant Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>This is a very common scam. DO NOT deposit or try to cash the check (it's fake). And stop replying to any of their future emails.</p> <p>They are probably outside the States - so I am not sure if going to the cops will help much, but it's an option.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nishnishant Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>If you look at the IP address in the email header, you may see a West African country's IP range there (unless they are using some proxy server).</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS1664879711 Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>why not tell her that you'll treat the difference between the amount of hte check and the cost of your services as a tip???</p> <p>(I'm kidding, of course. Stop writing to her ASAP!)</p> ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_tripp Posted February 10, 2009 Author Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>The package was shipped from Florida, and they gave me their number, but of couse said they cannot talk until next week. Would the FBI even care about this?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luis_g Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>Yes, it's a scam, and you should turn them in.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nishnishant Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>Interesting - they may have a contact in Florida. I am not sure how seriously the cops will handle this - but this is a good chance to get that florida person arrested.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayt Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>Do not deposit the check. Instead create a bogus check, fake account number and fake ABA number. Easily done with current software. Send them the fake check. Of course use a fake return address and phone number. Then they will somewhat become victims of their own scam when their bank removes the money from their account and they get slammed with overdraft fees and bounced check fees.</p> <p>Yeh, what you will be doing is illegal. But what are they going to do? Go to the police and tell them that you issued a fake check for the excess funds on their fake check?</p> <p>Of course this is also hoping that you have not given them your own phone number already.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_tripp Posted February 10, 2009 Author Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>Raymond, I like the idea.....but they have too much information about me. They have my website that has all of my contact information and I don't have a studio, so they sent the check to my house. I would love to play secret agent and find out where they would want me to send the extra money, then get the FBI to do a sting operation, but I guess it is just better to ignore them and go on with my life.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebell Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>No, its legit. Go for it, and let us know what happens....</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebell Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>Of course it isn't! The fact you questioned the legitimacy puts you on the verge of the minority of the suckers who get caught out by these scams.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nishnishant Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>Or you could get them mad by sending them back their fake check and offering to do the wedding for free :-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce_margolis Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <blockquote> <p>The package was shipped from Florida, and they gave me their number, but of couse said they cannot talk until next week. Would the FBI even care about this?</p> </blockquote> <p>I would think so. It is very common for these scams to originate in Africa or Eastern Europe, in other words places where the FBI is useless. Once you say this one is from Florida, you just might get some interest. At the very least, they could check out the address if not the number to see if that part is legit.</p> <p>Another option is to have some friends in Florida check it out. One of the funniest scam stories out there began when a guy got some help from friends in the UK.....</p> <p><a href="http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/">http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/</a></p> <p> And then, of course, there is always the possibility that this really is a bride looking for your help with her wedding. In that case, everthing everyone has said to you will only help to destroy your business. :-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebell Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>Nish - that comment is hilarious, a classic!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabbiinc Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <blockquote> <p>Youdeposit it and send them the overage. A few days later, the bank calls you and says the check is fake and that they debited your account for it.</p> </blockquote> <p>Actually it's almost a real check with a real account, with a real account number with a real routing number from a real bank. But it's a copy of the real check, and it's not really being issued from who the real check belongs too. Since the account number and routing number all match up with the name on the check the red flags won't pop up right away. I've heard that it takes <strong>2 weeks</strong> or longer for the bank to slap you with the problems.</p> <p>Don't cash it. It is a scam. If you do cash it hold onto that money. After all the bank just wants the money back if it is fake. You can tell your contact that they can get a check from you after you've shot the wedding. But I would take it straight to the police if I thought it was fake (I think it's fake).</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_sokal___dallas__tx Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>There is no such possibility in this case.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alec_myers Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>Paying it in is probably a bad idea. I'm pretty sure that if you think it's a fake and you still try to cash it you become an accessory before the fact.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpahnelas Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>be a sport. write back and tell the "bride" you got a better offer. decline to accept the delivery... it probably would be best for you extricate yourself from this whole business immediately.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_h.1 Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <blockquote> <p><em>create a bogus check, fake account number and fake ABA number. Send them the fake check. Of course use a fake return address and phone number... ...their bank removes the money from their account and they get slammed with overdraft fees and bounced check fees.</em></p> </blockquote> <p><em></em><br> With all due respect to Raymond in general, this is the worst advice I have seen on photo.net, the internet or anywhere.</p> <p>Ever.</p> <p>We are talking a long list of state and federal felonies. The fact that scammers are the intended victim is irrelevent. </p> <blockquote> <p><em>what are they going to do? Go to the police and tell them that you issued a fake check for the excess funds on their fake check?</em></p> </blockquote> <p><em></em><br> They don't need to. The bank will.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedding-photography-denver Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>Its a scam.</p> <p>This needs to become obvious to all.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_hovland Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>Nigerian con artists at work.<br> Money talks, BS walks- If someone won't give you a phone number right away they probably aren't real.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjogo Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 <p>We "played" one of these scams out for about a week --- really had them ~ goin' along. We put some real terror into the orginator of the email.....</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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