3 May
2017
3 May
'17
3:42 a.m.
If you have a website or public contact information out there, you might see messages like
these.
First one: forwarded from a dance community to me.
"Hello, My name is Mary I got your information online for dance classes. I'm
organizing a surprise dance (like flashmob) for my daughter's wedding, So i want you
to teach the Bridesmaids choreography. Let me know if you can do this?"
I sent a request for more info, and got the hook message:
"Thanks for the response am only available via email or text due to my hearing
problem okay. Wedding is on the 24th of JUNE. The ladies are local. There are 10
Bridesmaids(all ladies) and i want them to choreograph a song by "John Legend"
titled "All of me". I want lessons to be at your studio. I'll prefer
Tues&Thurs 11-1pm, if that's okay with your schedule. Though the ladies are fully
committed to this training, so their timing is pretty flexible. They are not professionals
and have no experience in dancing. What is the total cost for 2 hour rehearsals twice a
week for 3 weeks? Actually I don't have a particular style in mind so i want you to
help me choose a suitable one. I trust your judgement on that considering it being your
field of expertise. I was thinking of this version https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=D2CYedstsiY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2CYedstsiY if the original won't work.
Point is my daughter loves the song so i'm doing this for her. Does the total cost
include studio rental fee? What is your full-name, your cell phone and studio address for
the private transport driver i'm organizing to locate your place when they are coming.
Can i make reservation with my credit card? Cause i won't be coming in with the ladies
due to my current health status. I'm currently under intensive care in preparation for
my surgery. I'm doing the booking since the whole surprise is my idea and i will be
responsible for all payment.
Regard,
Mary"
A friend who actually does choreograph dance routines says, "It is the exact same
scam as my friend ran into in his computer business. Including the intensive care thing.
Word for word"
Be careful out there.
--Karen D.
don't have a dance studio
3 May
3 May
5:15 a.m.
On 5/2/2017 8:42 PM, karendunnam(a)gmail.com [trad-dance-callers] wrote:
If you have a website or public contact information
out there, you might
see messages like these.
First one: forwarded from a dance community to me.
"Hello, My name is Mary I got your information online for dance classes.
I'm organizing a surprise dance (like flashmob) for my daughter's
wedding, So i want you to teach the Bridesmaids choreography. Let me
know if you can do this?"
I sent a request for more info, and got the hook message:
<snip>
A friend who actually does choreograph dance routines
says, "It is the
exact same scam as my friend ran into in his computer business.
Including the intensive care thing. Word for word"
Be careful out there.
--Karen D.
don't have a dance studio
My question is, what does the person sending the email get out of this
transaction, aside from the pleasure of wasting your time?
Kalia
6 a.m.
On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 12:15 AM, Kalia Kliban kalia.kliban(a)gmail.com
[trad-dance-callers] <trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com> wrote:
My question is, what does the person sending the email get out of this
transaction, aside from the pleasure of wasting your time?
Kalia
It sounds like the setup for some kind of overpayment scam:
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/sales/cashier.asp
-Micah
6:19 a.m.
Kalia Kliban asked, regarding a bogus request for services
quoted by Karen Dunnam:
My question is, what does the person sending the email
get out of this
transaction, aside from the pleasure of wasting your time?
I believe the way this scam works is that the "client" supposedly
buying your services comes up with a story about how their
payment to you will include an additional amount that you're
suposed to use to pay to a third party. (For example, in the
message Karen quoted, there's reference to a "private transport
driver" who would presumably [hah!] be transporting the ten
bridesmaids to and from Karen's studio for their "2 hour
rehearsals twice a week for 3 weeks".) Of course after you
send payment to the "third party", the payment that you thought
you had received from the "client" somehow gets canceled or fails
to clear.
--Jim
6:53 a.m.
I wrote:
... Of course after you
send payment to the "third party", the payment that you thought
you had received from the "client" somehow gets canceled or fails
to clear.
For example, the "payment" from the "client" to you may turn out to
have been made using a stolen credit card number, forged cashier's
check, spoofed PayPal payment notification, etc. A web search for
"overpayment scam" will turn up info on many variations on the
theme.
--Jim
On May 2, 2017, at 11:19 PM, James Saxe
<jim.saxe(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Kalia Kliban asked, regarding a bogus request for services
quoted by Karen Dunnam:
My question is, what does the person sending the
email get out of this
transaction, aside from the pleasure of wasting your time?
I believe the way this scam works is that the "client" supposedly
buying your services comes up with a story about how their
payment to you will include an additional amount that you're
suposed to use to pay to a third party. (For example, in the
message Karen quoted, there's reference to a "private transport
driver" who would presumably [hah!] be transporting the ten
bridesmaids to and from Karen's studio for their "2 hour
rehearsals twice a week for 3 weeks".) Of course after you
send payment to the "third party", the payment that you thought
you had received from the "client" somehow gets canceled or fails
to clear.
--Jim
1:14 p.m.
You can turn the tables on the scammer by answering with myriad silly
questions. String them along until they give up.
Cheers,
Sylvia Miskoe
On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 2:53 AM, James Saxe jim.saxe(a)gmail.com
[trad-dance-callers] <trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com> wrote:
I wrote:
... Of course after you
send payment to the "third party", the payment that you thought
you had received from the "client" somehow gets canceled or fails
to clear.
For example, the "payment" from the "client" to you may turn out to
have been made using a stolen credit card number, forged cashier's
check, spoofed PayPal payment notification, etc. A web search for
"overpayment scam" will turn up info on many variations on the
theme.
--Jim
On May 2, 2017, at 11:19 PM, James Saxe
<jim.saxe(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Kalia Kliban asked, regarding a bogus request for services
quoted by Karen Dunnam:
My question is, what does the person sending the
email get out of this
transaction, aside from the pleasure of wasting your time?
I believe the way this scam works is that the "client" supposedly
buying your services comes up with a story about how their
payment to you will include an additional amount that you're
suposed to use to pay to a third party. (For example, in the
message Karen quoted, there's reference to a "private transport
driver" who would presumably [hah!] be transporting the ten
bridesmaids to and from Karen's studio for their "2 hour
rehearsals twice a week for 3 weeks".) Of course after you
send payment to the "third party", the payment that you thought
you had received from the "client" somehow gets canceled or fails
to clear.
--Jim
10:49 a.m.
I received the same email but it was from "Frank". After asking for more
information, got the same type of response except it was for April 29.
I don't have a studio, plus my radar for "weird", "scam of some
kind", etc went off loud and clear.
I wonder if it should be reported anywhere (I think I didn't delete it yet).
Patricia Campbell
Newtown, CT
On May 2, 2017, at 11:42 PM, karendunnam(a)gmail.com
[trad-dance-callers] <trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com> wrote:
If you have a website or public contact information out there, you might see messages
like these.
First one: forwarded from a dance community to me.
"Hello, My name is Mary I got your information online for dance classes. I'm
organizing a surprise dance (like flashmob) for my daughter's wedding, So i want you
to teach the Bridesmaids choreography. Let me know if you can do this?"
I sent a request for more info, and got the hook message:
"Thanks for the response am only available via email or text due to my hearing
problem okay. Wedding is on the 24th of JUNE. The ladies are local. There are 10
Bridesmaids(all ladies) and i want them to choreograph a song by "John Legend"
titled "All of me". I want lessons to be at your studio. I'll prefer
Tues&Thurs 11-1pm, if that's okay with your schedule. Though the ladies are fully
committed to this training, so their timing is pretty flexible. They are not professionals
and have no experience in dancing. What is the total cost for 2 hour rehearsals twice a
week for 3 weeks? Actually I don't have a particular style in mind so i want you to
help me choose a suitable one. I trust your judgement on that considering it being your
field of expertise. I was thinking of this version https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=D2CYedstsiY if the original won't work. Point is my daughter loves the song so
i'm doing this for her. Does the total cost include studio rental fee? What is your
full-name, your cell phone and studio address for the private transport driver i'm
organizing to locate your place when they are coming. Can i make reservation with my
credit card? Cause i won't be coming in with the ladies due to my current health
status. I'm currently under intensive care in preparation for my surgery. I'm
doing the booking since the whole surprise is my idea and i will be responsible for all
payment.
Regard,
Mary"
A friend who actually does choreograph dance routines says, "It is the exact same
scam as my friend ran into in his computer business. Including the intensive care thing.
Word for word"
Be careful out there.
--Karen D.
don't have a dance studio
12:24 p.m.
Patricia wrote :
I received the same email but it was from "Frank". After asking for more
information, got the same type of response except it was for April 29.
I don't have a studio, plus my radar for "weird", "scam of some
kind", etc went off loud and clear.
I wonder if it should be reported anywhere (I think I didn't delete it yet).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are websites devoted to information on "Nigerian 419" scams.
"... often known as 'Nigerian 419' scams because the first wave of them came
from Nigeria. The '419' part of the name comes from the section of Nigeria’s
Criminal Code which outlaws the practice. These scams now come from anywhere in the
world."
Some of the sites describe how the recipient has some fun with the scammer. I suppose I
could have strung them along (requesting photos of the ten bridesmaids in their wedding
attire, setting up a meeting at my Grand Rapids studio located at 1 Monroe Center SW --
here's what's really at that address
https://goo.gl/maps/t6mrEBx2bXr https://goo.gl/maps/t6mrEBx2bXr ).
The first such episode I received was via text message, from "Luke" near Dallas.
It seemed fishy, so I posted it to Facebook as a lark. Turns out I have a friend who
actually does choreography, and she'd love to do it, so we now have a stronger
connection.
Reporting it here seems to be the best practice.
--Karen D.
whose house for sale appeared on Craigslist advertised by someone claiming to be Rev.
Karen, off to a 2-year mission trip...but Google worked and my real church admin had a
good laugh
2550
days inactive
2550
days old
trad-callers@lists.sharedweight.net
8 comments
7 participants
participants (7)
-
James Saxe -
Kalia Kliban -
karendunnam＠gmail.com -
Micah Smukler -
Patricia Campbell -
Sylvia Miskoe -
Tom Hinds