Might Have My First Art Email Scam!

Congrats! What fun!

"hello seller" to me is a dead give away. Unless your name was actually seller.

Lol, yes, I feel like I've 'arrived' now...

Seller..oops, Melissa

Congratulations. Ever so often I receive scam messages about someone looking for a wedding photographer and that they will be back in town on such and such time and they are wanting to line up a wedding photographer for their wedding.

@Jeffery...ewe!! What a horrible thought!

Congratulations, Melissa -- It's a Scam! ;-)

http://stopartscams.blogspot.com/2012/08/scam-email-rachael-cox.html

Good going Melissa. Thank God you were wise enough to spot the scum-bucket!

I always have fun with these guys.

"I would love to do business with you using Paypal, but unfortunately I can not think about work right now because my sister is stuck in *Foreign Country* and all my time, money and effort is focused on getting her home right now. Times are hard and I am short on cash, but if you could send me money so that I can buy her a plane ticket home, I could repay you the cost and send you free copy of my painting when she arrives?"

LC, that's a great response!

at least it didn't start with hello dear... "pay pal" sometimes sends me those.

when he asked about the condition. or really anything at all, since it's explained on the site, that raises the red flag. and he wants to pay using paypal, if he's on the site he would see the choices.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

"immediate purchase " , "direct e-mail " & "quick respond " .
Also purchase & payment terms are clearly explained I am sure.

my favorite scam of all time is the one where they don't know what i sell, and they don't know what the prices are, and they don't know what my website is, but they want to buy it anyway.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

OMG, they've replied back:

I am very happy to hear that from you, also I am still interested in the item. Payment will be made to you via PayPal, do you accept PayPal as mode of payment? I will like to ask you the following questions.


Are you the real owner?


What is the present condition?


How much is the final asking price?


Do you have PayPal ID which payment can be make?


Where is the exact location for the pick up?


I will be glad to hear back from you. I have a shipper that will come over for the pick up, so you don't needs to bother of the shipment, just let me know the pick up location so that I can make and inquiry with the pick up agent to know how much it will cost me for the pick up....get back to me as soon as possible so that the payment can be made to you.

Thanks.

Okay, should I send a reply or just ignored it

Reply:
Yes, I'm the real owner. The present condition will be brand new as it will be printed just for you. The final asking price is $215 if I ship to your address. I am working out of town for the next month so would need to ship it from my printer. Just give me your address and your Paypal ID so I can invoice you.

Thank you

Looks like a scam. I get them from time to time! Hard to say but sounded like the original was asked for. ???The person ask about PayPal,& I doubt a scammer would use PayPal.... that is as far as i know cause I usually ignore those. A Pick up question usually is the give away that a scam1 I think you can google that name/email related to scams and know. Good Luck!

send him the address to the police station. any will do.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

I looked back for Nikki's thread and copied the FBI address and phone number she gave a scammer recently. I didn't send the response above.Here's what I just emailed,

Yes, I'm the real owner. The present condition will be brand new as it will be printed just for you. The final asking price is $215. If you like, you can have the pick up agent bring a cashier's check or a money order made out to cash instead of going through Paypal. Here's the address and contact phone number for pickup arrangements. If I'm not there, just have them ask for Goren Eames, I'll leave the canvas with him and I trust him with holding the money for me.

935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20535-0001
(202) 324-3000

Wow, I thought that might end it but no...they replied back with:

Thanks for mailing back, how much is the final asking price? I'm an honest and straight person and always want to be treat the same way, are you sure of the item condition? this is only what can make me to be worry, cause I will not be able to come over and look at it, i am an oceanographer and i am buying this item for my aunt in oversea, i am at sea right now and I can only pay through PayPal and you can put the PayPal charges on me because as at present, i don't have access to my bank account online, but i have it attached to my PayPal account and this is why am using PayPal to pay, all i will need is your PayPal email address to make the payments i have a pick up agent that will come for the pick up, after payments has been sorted and will also handle the paper works. Where is the exact location for the pick up? So that I can contact the pick up agent with your location to know how much it will cost me for the pick up, the pick up agent still have some other stuffs to pick up for me, I will be looking forward to hear back from you ASAP. Also, you are to get back to me with your PayPal email address with your full name as you have it on PayPal.

Thanks.

Sooo, I finally had to respond with " Okay, this scam email has gone on long enough. Do not email me again." Geesh!

he's on the oil rig or something close to that, you got the classic one.

how many times did he say paypal in that. he really loves that paypal. you can tell him to call his bank and have them draft a check or something like that.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

People . . . ~sigh~ :-(

I thought everyone knew by now to never, ever, respond to a scam email! In fact, you should never even open something you know to be part of a scam. Read this, and pay close attention to #11. (This is the second time in a week that an FAA'er has reported responding to a scammer. Seriously -- Stop doing that!)

http://www.artscams.com/

Now, Melissa -- go run your virus software.

Sounds like a scammer wants to hack your paypal account and drain it. my neighbors was hacked once now she only keeps a small balance on paypal and a separate e-bay bank account not attatched to her main bank account just in case.

considering paypal only uses an email address, i wonder how they use that to hack in? ideally they can get the payment back again really fast, and have your account shut down if they call you the scammer.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

@Wendy.....yes m'am! Scanned and all clear. I actually thought originally that the replies went 'thru' the sites system. So I emailed and apparently only the first one, after that, yes they did see my email, grrr. I think they are done with me now since I told them 'enough with the scam email'

you can tell him you have a friend in the coast guard that works near his area. he can pick up the check from him....


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

oh I wish I'd thought of that!

Okay then -- stepping off my soap box. ;-)

Can't tell you how many times I've been out to sea and thought, "Gee, I completely forgot about my distant Aunt Helga's upcoming birthday. Better order some artwork and pay someone to pick it up directly from the artist and hand deliver it intercontinentally." Doesn't everyone do that?

Coincidentally, an "oceanographer at sea" wanted to purchase my neighbor's truck for his father about six months ago... This guy is really generous to his family.

those oceanographers... they make some good money, and seem to have a lot of free time to cruise the web.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

LOL, Melissa! And yes, listen to Wendy, everyone!

Nikki -- I've been saying that for years! ;-)

Lol, Wendy! :)

ha ha both you two!! Nikki & Wendy ;o))