Photo Scam / Fraud Warning via Email!

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Darren Pyott
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Following a post by Hacker I thought it best to post this on additional forums as this looks like it ould affect many photographers. Below is an email i received yesterday but only opened this morning Hacker has received similar emails.......

Good day,
I`m miss Melisa,further to our wedding preparations between i and my fiance Jim in GLASGOW,(SCOTLAND) in the month of December.We are looking for a good photographer who will come and snapshot our proposed event. We were highly impressed on your web page and we hope to have the best of your services.At this time,we are leaving for Cardiff on a per wedding honeymoon.
We would require to have the list of your available dates between 18th-19th of December 2009.Let me know your charges for your services if you are to work for at most Six Hours on that day. we require the below.

:200 copies of photographs
:All colored
:5 x 7 in size
:Albums required

The 200 copies covers the bride and the bridegroom, their parents,the officiating ministers and our guests.If you can out,we will pay the transportation charges to and from the party venue.Please indicate in your email if you can out,what it will costs either via Plane or through Car transport to 80 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 2UE, GLASGOW,(SCOTLAND) wedding venue and what amount you will receive working for the budgeted hours at the occasion.
More so,should you be out of state,the Hotel accommodation will be provided for by us.Pls call my husband that our number
Best regards,
Melisa and Jim husband
+447011163984



I have been looking into this a little further. Firstly be aware of 070 numbers this one starts in 0701. These numbers can link into extremely high cost telephone systems costing the caller sometimes £1000's per minute but appear to be a mobile phone number. Borrow your neighbours phone if you are calling this (Just kidding!) Don’t Call it!!!! Secondly looking at Google maps 80 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 2UE don’t look like much of a wedding venue to me! My advice to all is if you have suspicions of a scam, it probably is. You will turn up to a venue fully loaded with thousands of pounds of equipment only to be greeted by a load of hairy arse eastern European gangsters who will take your belongings for quick sale on eBay and you come out of it minus a few layers of skin , a few bruises but hopefully alive.

Least to say I have not replied to this email and have no intention of doing so.

Its a lesson that the world is turning into a scary place and all of us need to be cautious.

Regards

Darren
PS. I have nothing against eastern Europeans, I'm married to a daughter of one (not a hairy arsed one i haste to add!).
 
I'm sorry but if anyone got taken in by such a feeble scam then they deserve to lose money.

Normal rules apply - engage brain before getting out of bed.


p.s. and why in Forum Discussion??
 
A client will always be happy to call you, if they really want to book you, so if anyone is unsure - reply with just your phone number (pref mobile!) and see what happens

:)
 
Moved to talk photography - seemed more appropriate - it was either that or talk business I guess :)
 
I know you all might fall about laughing, but wouldn't this be worth passing on to the Police? Sounds like if they go along with it, that's a pretty easy way for them to up their arrest figures.
 
Things that would instantly make me suspicious are out of local arae venues, the iffy English, the pre wedding honeymoon (most can't afford a proper one these days) it just sounds a lot like the classic Nigerian scam in the way it's written.
Thanks for the tip off all the same, it's nice to know whats going around, and a lot of people haven't come across these before.
 
Snownation is correct, unless a crime is committed the police can not do anything. Contacting someone via email is not a crime regardless of motive unless racist or threatening comments are made direct to individuals. many of these scams get round the wedding deception issue by booking a reg office mock wedding as backup. To be honest if my local police are anything to go by, if it does not have an engine and driver they are not interested anyway.
 
070 numbers are redirects i think
 
Profile Photo said:
Snownation is correct, unless a crime is committed the police can not do anything
Click to expand...

Sorry but that is simply not correct. It is no different to a scam telephone call attempting to get (eg) bank information ("we're xyz solicitors working to reclaim bank charges..." etc etc) and local Plod will probably be more interested than you might think in my experience.
 
pearce_jj said:
Sorry but that is simply not correct. It is no different to a scam telephone call attempting to get (eg) bank information ("we're xyz solicitors working to reclaim bank charges..." etc etc) and local Plod will probably be more interested than you might think in my experience.
Click to expand...

at the very least ofcom might be interested.
 
swanseamale47 said:
Yes you can, it's trying to obtain money by deception if theres no proper wedding.
Click to expand...

I disagree. The mail doesn't ask for money, and no offence has been committed at this point. The Police would probably advise you to ignore it, but I doubt if they would get involved, unless it fitted a pattern (language, modus operandi etc) of other reports where people have actually lost money.

It's obviously some sort of scam, but there are several possibilities as to how it might play out. An obvious one is the "overpayment by mistake" scenario. You tell them the shoot will cost £1000, with a deposit of £500 (or whatever) and they send you a cheque for £1500, followed by a frantic mail saying they misunderstood and could you reimburse the difference by Western Union cash transfer - a real giveaway - or EFT. Of course, the original cheque bounces.

The best thing to do is ignore it, but you can have some fun if you want to. have a look at http://www.scambuster419.co.uk/introduction.htm.
 
I too hate these uneducated scammer but I can offer help and guidance to anyone how has been taken in by these low-lifes.

Please buy my new book “How To Deal With Scammers” It is only £32.55 and available through mail-order only

To secure your copy please email me your Bank Details, including your Bank Account Number, your Sort Code and your full postal address together with your mothers maiden name and Password to……….

Chief-rippenoff.@ yourafool.com

Alternately you can post your order to me at the address below, please give me your FULL Credit Card details including expiry date and 3-digit security number.

Dr Rippemoff
Nigerian High Commission
c/o PO box 111
Swindon

Please phone 0704 234 2312
 
Look like a typical email scam, poor english, and unusual to email anybody out of the area that the wedding is planned for, best to stay clear of these, as for the 070 number, mostly used for redirects, I have a One Number Number that uses an 070 number.




Dave.
 
Maybe get a large group of us together and go along to one of these scams and take them for everything they own ;)
 
Sorry Byker, my late Uncle, the Nigirian Oil Barren Chief Whatta Bunchof Muppets who left me all his wealth told me on his death bed not to have personal contact with my Blessed customers.
 
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