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Thread: Yet Another eMail Scam

  1. #1
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    Yet Another eMail Scam

    I don't know what their endgame is, but I thought I'd play along for a bit. I quoted 3 times my normal price and the perp was more than happy to pay. I've now blocked that email address.

    From: Gary Phillip [mailto:]
    Sent: Monday, October 20, 2014 7:45 AM
    To:
    Subject: Order

    --
    attention ,
    My name is Gary Phillip.I will like to order some plaque from your shop and the details of the plaque i want to order from your company are below ...

    Product name :Aluminum or bronze plaques
    Size: 8" x 10" x 3/8
    Quantity:400 pis
    Text Engraving:Thanks be to God

    I will like you to email me back with the total pick up price plus tax excluding shipping and also adivse me the methods of payment that you do accept you can get back to me with the sizes that you have if you dont have my request.Your promt reply will be gladly appreciated and email me back with your phone number so that we can proceed .
    Hope to hear back from you soon.
    Tim
    There are Big Brain people & Small Brain people. I'm one of the Big Brains - with a lot of empty space.- me
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  2. #2
    Many of the scams we run into are aluminum/brass based. I think their endgame is something that is easy to scrap for decent money with no questions asked.

    Wes
    JP

  3. #3
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    IF you want a funny read, do a Google for "busted up cowgirl" but I see most of the stuff is down now or ends in a ad for the website. She gets offers to buy her horse and ends up scamming the scammer.
    Last edited by Bill George; 10-23-2014 at 3:07 PM.
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  4. #4
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    I have received similar email requests over the years. In my case it was for a product which has no scrap metal value so I can only imagine they are doing some kind of credit card scam with stolen card numbers or claiming they never received merchandise and trying to get refunds on charges.

    The predominant theme is they do not know anything about my product that they are supposedly interested in ordering,
    and they want to know what credit cards I accept for payment. I've had requests for large quantities of products I don't even offer. If I respond, I tell them I ship only after receiving cash payment in full. This has cut down their frequency to about 2 a year now.
    Materials Conversion Specialist
    I take perfectly good large pieces of stuff & turn them into smaller pieces having dubious value

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  5. #5
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    TIM - AND ALL
    I too, receive plenty of those types of e-mails. As a rule of thumb: If the initial inquiry doesn't provide full contact information, I simply delete 'em and move on with my day. Think you are asking for trouble by responding or replying via their e-mail - 'though each of us must make our own risk-assessment. This said: sometimes, what appears to be a "scam" can lead to a nice sale! Not long ago, I received an e-mail request for one hundred 3" x 1" plates: Flexi-brass, blank, no engraving. (So, figured they must have 'least looked at my website.) Get this! - the request coming from the U.S. Navy! (My first though was: "yeah, sure!" ) Yet, there was contact information, so I followed up by phone. Turned out to be a legit request to order! Their plan being to order blank Flexi-brass plates and engrave 'em in their own shop. I couldn't get anybody to confirm they had laser equipment - (don't believe you can rotary engrave Flexi-brass?) so, I explained it was just as easy for me to engrave names on their plates as I cut them out. Ended up: they e-mailed me an Excel list of names - give me a credit card number - I processed their job and made a nice sale! (Now, I can tell people I engrave for the United States Navy! - neat, uh?)

    Have 'great day, guys!
    Bill
    (Using Epilog 35W Mini 24)

  6. #6
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    Cool story Bill!

    The only problem being now we will all wonder if we should have responded to all those apparent phishing efforts disguised as emailed orders. Ya can't win! <grin>

    Now if you only had a deep enough Z height and a big enough table in your laser you could engrave all the hull numbers on the sides of the Navy vessels! Wouldn't that be cool to show on your web site? <grin> A nice photo of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier being run through the pass through doors of your laser as you engraved the hull number on her!! Woohooooo! Talk about a cool niche business to describe for the next person who asks us how we all manage to monetize our lasers?

    <grin>

    Dave
    900x600 80watt EFR Tube laser from Liaocheng Ray Fine Tech LTD. Also a 900x600 2.5kw spindle CNC from Ray Fine. And my main tool, a well used and loved Jet 1642 Woodlathe with an outboard toolrest that helps me work from 36 inch diameters down to reallllllly tiny stuff.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Stearns View Post
    TIM - AND ALL
    I too, receive plenty of those types of e-mails. As a rule of thumb: If the initial inquiry doesn't provide full contact information, I simply delete 'em and move on with my day. Think you are asking for trouble by responding or replying via their e-mail - 'though each of us must make our own risk-assessment. This said: sometimes, what appears to be a "scam" can lead to a nice sale! Not long ago, I received an e-mail request for one hundred 3" x 1" plates: Flexi-brass, blank, no engraving. (So, figured they must have 'least looked at my website.) Get this! - the request coming from the U.S. Navy! (My first though was: "yeah, sure!" ) Yet, there was contact information, so I followed up by phone. Turned out to be a legit request to order! Their plan being to order blank Flexi-brass plates and engrave 'em in their own shop. I couldn't get anybody to confirm they had laser equipment - (don't believe you can rotary engrave Flexi-brass?) so, I explained it was just as easy for me to engrave names on their plates as I cut them out. Ended up: they e-mailed me an Excel list of names - give me a credit card number - I processed their job and made a nice sale! (Now, I can tell people I engrave for the United States Navy! - neat, uh?)

    Have 'great day, guys!
    Bill
    My son will have to look into the payment as that is what he does for the navy financial dept.

  8. #8
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    JEROME -
    I'm not sure how to interpret your comment saying: "My son will have to look into the payment as that is what he does for the navy financial dept." - But, if you mean this in some negative way - as something being wrong with the way the transaction was handled - well, that would be pretty upsetting to me! I don't know what there is to "look in to". ? I was just thankful for the order 'n happy to help 'em out. BTW: I didn't charge anymore for the engraved plates than I quoted for the "blanks". (I mostly wanted to make certain they were ordering the right product for their needs - apparently, it was.) And, I just felt this was an experience related to this thread 'bout potential scams 'n whatnot. So, once 'gain - what's to look in to?

    Bill
    (Using Epilog 35W Mini 24)

  9. #9
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    In my Navy Days some of us had Credit Cards for just such a use. As long as we had command support for the idea, price, and product we were good. I just quoted a NOAA Ship in Norfolk for some FRP that likely would be a credit card job.

    And the old Barney Fife, your Mailbox is FULL.... Click here for 1 GIG FREE.... O' MY.... 1 Gig.... And some possible orders.... not....


    To Whom It May Concern,

    Thank you for reading my email. We are considering the purchase of 80 each of 3M Littmann Classic II S.E Stethoscope Black, 30 units of 3M Littmann Classic II S.E Stethoscope Pink, and 40 each of 3M Littmann Classic II S.E Stethoscope Gray.

    Please refer to this order as "Purchase Order #CHG/ZX/10/14/245". If this order cannot be processed as requested, please contact me at this email at your earliest convenience.
    Please send the quotation by email with complete details of specification,terms & condition, warranty/guarantee.

    Note :
    Quoted rate should be valid at least for one month.
    Replacement Guarantee and Warranty as applicable should be clearly mentioned in quotation.
    May feel free to contact on E-mail
    Regards,
    Jill Sung


    Hello Sales,
    I am Jessica and i am ordering from the states shipping to New
    Zealand,I want to place an order from you.,Before i place this order,i
    want you to notify me if i am able to place the order and most
    important,If i can make payment with my credit card VISA/MASTER)
    because that is the only way we are set up for payment without no
    delay,email me your website to pick the items from so that i can
    e-mail in the items needed then you can give me a quote here and make
    charges to my cards manually on your end?Please Clarify.Looking
    forward to your swift response then we can proceed further as soon as
    possible.

    Thanks
    Jessica

    +44 7024080079
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  10. #10
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    He just has to go over the payments to see if they correspond to the PO invoice. Nothing to worry about just so the numbers add up. and the payment went to the correct place.

  11. #11
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    JEROME -
    No problem. In fact, I am happy to find out that some one in our government double checks on such things - 'cause, in the end, it's our tax dollars, right? You just caught me off guard 'cause I hadn't mentioned the station's location, or district, etc. (Are you saying your son's office checks on purchases like this from all over the nation?) I was mostly concerned that they might try rotary engraving pre-cut Flexi-brass plates; they didn't ask for a "sample" first. Turned out, they were apparently planning to purchase a laser engraving machine for their shop - this lessened my concerns. Which, sadly, means: this was more than likely a one time sale for me. Very nice people to deal with - gal kept calling me "Sir". (They did appreciate my engraving the names for 'em at no additional cost, as well as my providing them with "blanks". In reference to potential "scams", I just found it kind' a strange they were ordering from my Midwest business as they are hundreds of miles 'way. (AL - like I said earlier these inquiry e-mails are a judgment call for all of us.)

    Later, guys
    Bill
    (Using Epilog 35W Mini 24)

  12. #12
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    Actually when I was in the USAF years and years ago and stationed a base in the Midwest we had Navy people stationed at our base and they of course had the entire support command for whatever they were doing. I would not lose any sleep over the comments about his son checking that invoice. His son is Not the entire Navy financial department!
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  13. #13
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    He does check nation wide but there are a lot of people in his department.

  14. #14
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    Jerome 'n Bill
    Like I mentioned earlier, I just found the "son will look in to" comment kind' a strange; no big deal. I certainly wasn't doing anything improper by providing their needs. Did, and does, puzzle me as to why they reached out to me, in the Midwest, 'stead of a closer shop. In fact, my initial reaction to their inquiry was to suggest they do find an engraving business closer to home. Then, I thought - well, that's our Government for you. I was mostly concerned they were ordering a product (Flexi-brass plates) that they might find they couldn't engrave on the blanks, if they had only rotary in their shop. More to the story: It was if "someone" - my guardian angel? - was providing me with a much-needed sale. When I later looked at their web site, there was a picture of an aircraft carrier on their Home page. I asked the gal 'bout it. Almost fell out' a my chair! It was a photo of the USS Constellation CVA-64 - the carrier I was on during Viet Nam! ('bout ready, if it hasn't already been sent to the scrap yard.) When it comes to e-mailed inquiries, for me, it doesn't get any stranger than that!

    Bill
    (Using Epilog 35W Mini 24)

  15. #15
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    I get about 5 of that type of email every week. Full of grammatical errors, and bogus contact info. They usually refer to themselves as 'Mr.' whatever, they never want shipping cuz they will arrange it, and they always ask what credit cards you accept. That also just say they are interested in your products and never say what.. Just press the delete button and get on with your day. Their scams usually the 'overpayment/refund' scam
    Epilog 24TT(somewhere between 35-45 watts), CorelX4, Photograv(the old one, it works!), HotStamping, Pantograph, Vulcanizer, PolymerPlatemaker, Sandblasting Cabinet, and a 30 year collection of Assorted 'Junque'

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