Is this a scam

Steve N · Post by **Steve N** » Thu 20 Sep, 2007 1:03 pm

Hi guys.
Had a guy email wanting a price for 60 ready made 60x90cm frames, gave him a price of from £30.00 depending on the frame, or from £40.00 if he wants us to put the pictures in.He then rings me to say he has sent a email to say he wants 70 now and at £40.00, very bad line and hes is forign, can't understand him very well, so I email him back to check what he wants,he emails back, he wants to pay £40.00 ( not the £30.00) each but with no pictures and wants to pay upfront! and he gives me the contact details of the shipping company,he wants to ship them to Ghana! he want me to get the prices off them and add them to our bill. He rings me to tell me has sent the email about the shipping company, I say he will have to contact them for the prices and pay them direct, the line goes dead!

What do you guys think, I think it is a scam of some sort

Steve

w00dward · Post by **w00dward** » Thu 20 Sep, 2007 1:40 pm

It seems like a scam. There are quite a few threads on it over at The Grumble. It seems to be a lot more common over in the states than here.

What will probably happen is that he will pay by cheque or draft but before it bounces the shipping company will have picked them up and you will be out of luck.

Bagel Framer · Post by **Bagel Framer** » Thu 20 Sep, 2007 1:40 pm

Hi Steve,

It certainly sounds a bit fishy and scams do tend to eminate from that part of the world - if you've got some key words like the shipping company, or the customer's name I'd suggest going onto google and doing a search on them, plus adding the word scam/spam and see what it brings back.

I was once approached by someone in Africa who wanted to but my aged VW Golf off me and was going to arrange the shipping etc, etc. I did the google thing and it showed as a scam.

Hope this helps....?

Post by **prospero** » Thu 20 Sep, 2007 1:49 pm

Sounds very iffy to me.

It reminds me of a similar scam concerning cars sales. You advertise your car for sale and someone contacts you from abroad saying it's just what he wants. Price is fine. In fact he asks if he can sent a bankers draft for about £3000 over the asking price, explaining that his 'shipping agent' will arrange to collect the car and would you be so kind as to give him the £3000 balance in cash.

Well you might think that a bankers draft is pretty safe and he even gives it time to clear, but it's not until after the car and the cash is gone that it turns out the draft is a forgery. The banking system grinds exceeding slow, and that's what these crooks count on.
Nothing you can do. You are down one car and £3000.

Of course, there is always that lingering doubt that it could all be legitimate and you are loosing a big order, but ask yourself this: Why would a company in Ghana be sourcing frames in the UK? If you ask me it's about as likely as the gypsies coming round to buy clothespegs.

......Aha! Cross-posted Bagel. That's the one.

Dermot · Post by **Dermot** » Thu 20 Sep, 2007 1:52 pm

Steve N wrote:Hi guys.
What do you guys think, I think it is a scam of some sort

Steve

So do I.............forget it and move on, dont waste any more time.........this sort of thing has been on the Grumble for the last year or so.......

Steve N · Post by **Steve N** » Thu 20 Sep, 2007 2:14 pm

Thanks chaps,
I Thought it was, not going to touch it! thanks for quick reponse

Steve

Bill Henry · Post by **Bill Henry** » Thu 20 Sep, 2007 2:39 pm

Its almost definitely a scam. I don’t exactly know how it works, but it has something to do with the scammer somehow recovering the shipping costs (which they insist that you pay for with a promise of reimbursement).

Over here the most common wrinkle is that they want you to become a middle man for glass shipments (very heavy with large freight costs). They use a TTY with a phone company intermediary passing along messages (probably to hide their accents). They almost always originate from West Africa.

kaptain.kopter · Post by **kaptain.kopter** » Thu 20 Sep, 2007 9:41 pm

No matter what trade you are, there's plenty of scams out to get you. I'm receiving on average 2 a day, the latest being:

Hello.

I'm a wedding planner and will want to make an inquiry for a photography at a client wedding that will be held at the Banquet Hall of the Sheraton Hotel & Towers Abuja, Nigeria.Date: 10/27/2007.

So could you to quote me for 8hrs service photograph for 150 guests at the event and as for your traveling you don't have to worry about that as i will be taken care of your traveling needs like visas and tickets and there is a traveling agent that will be working on that and also your accommodations will be booked for one week at the same hotel and you have the chances of coming with up to three other crew that will be working with you at the wedding.

Kindly let me know if you can hanfle this international contract also be informed that you're about to be given an offer at the wedding of a Minister's daughter in Nigeria were you will be meeting other Ministers and state Governors.

If you have any comment and which to take care of the contract please kinfly email me back to my private email address at: SNELSON57@YAHOO.COM

Regards
Samuel Nelson
(206) 888-4277

Post by **prospero** » Thu 20 Sep, 2007 10:08 pm

Yeah...well... they don't have cameras in Nigeria. It's a well known fact.

I think the moral is: If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Dermot · Post by **Dermot** » Thu 20 Sep, 2007 10:25 pm

Linked............
To The Grumble

http://www.thegrumble.com/showthread.php?t=27128

Post by **prospero** » Fri 21 Sep, 2007 1:22 am

This is a giggle if you have an hour to spare.....

http://www.419eater.com/html/joe_eboh.htm

ross · Post by **ross** » Fri 21 Sep, 2007 12:25 pm

I started getting this type of thing about a year ago - started with a Rev Barry.. somebody wanting a quote for 50 0r 60 frame units to be manufactured and shipped overseas, from memory I think to Nigeria

Still get one or two like this a week, don't even read them now, just push the delete button!

Ross

The Framers Forum

Is this a scam

Is this a scam

Re: Is this a scam