Thanks so much for your Scam Blog.
I didn't know how to post this, so hope it is ok to just send via email. Thank goodness I finally googled the Belarus address and found you!
Glad to stop wasting time on this. I never gave them our website, but they found it anyway.
I got suspicious as the English got better as the emails kept coming! When I said they had to telephone me, they never replied.
What I wonder is what they would have gotten out of the deal, as the artwork isn't that valuable, and of course I wouldn't have sent it without full payment. Smuggling? Access to my computer? dunno.
Anyway, here it is.
Post if you think it might be helpful.
(We DID get an email about a year ago and successfully shipped two large pieces to Oman! I opened a separate bank account, they wire the money and we shipped the pots!)
Thanks so much,
Carol
First Email from Scammer:
From: "Susan Shors" [susan.shors@yahoo.com]
Subject: Art Purchase
Hello,
I and my Cousin have interest in purchasing some piece of Art from your gallery hence i will like to know if you sell internationally (Belarus) and also if you accept (Credit Card) as a method of payment,if you do i want you to get back to me with your updated webpage, so that i can make choice of the Art to purchase from your gallery. Your response is needed so that we can proceed. I await your response.
Thanks
Susan
Second Email:
From: Susan Shors [mailto:susan.shors@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 12:32 PM
Subject: Re: Art Purchase
Hi Mark,
Good to hear from ylou,you id not answer my email if you accept credit card as a method of payment. You can get back to me with the new pottery
I will be looking forward to hearing from you asap.
Thanks
Susan
Third Email:
From: Susan Shors [mailto:susan.shors@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 3:32 PM
Subject: RE: Art Purchase
Hi Carol,
Good to hear from you and how are you doing today,your family and business?
below are the ones i am willing to purchase:
Salt-Glazed Two Gallon Jar
Brown with blue glass runs and ash glaze neck and lid.
16" H x 11" W x 11" D
$450
============================================================================
Three Gallon Vase
Pale ash glaze with starburst decoration and blue glass runs.
18" H x 12" W x 12" D
$575
============================================================================
Gallon Pitcher
Yellow ash glaze with manganese slip dots and blue glass runs.
11.5" H x 9" W x 9" D
$225
============================================================================
therefore i want you to get them packed.On the shipping,one will have to pay additional fee at the delivery point here in Belarus because they will never bring to ones house. courier like Fedex UPS are not worth it here especially USPS all of them are not rendering good service here probably because they already known very well. You can contact this courier service Shore Express Courier Service (shorexpress@rocketship.com [http://us.mc1202.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=shorexpress@rocketship.com] ) as well with the weight and cost of the artwork for the shipping and insurance to my address because they ship and deliver safely without one paying any other money before collecting the goods unlike some other courier where it will not be delivered to your address rather you will have to go to their office to pick it up and when you get there you will be told to pay other money before collecting it. I will be looking forward to hearing from you asap.
Thanks
Shipping Address
Susan Shors
13F, Skoryna ave.
Minsk, Belarus
Carol,
ReplyDeleteThe crux of the scam, which you hadn't gotten to yet in your exchanges with this scammer is this: they will send you a check for MORE than the amount owe with some convoluted story about why and for you to just send back the difference. If done, then the artist finds out after the fact that the original check was fraudulent and the bank pulls the money out of the account, leaving the artist out the artwork, but more importantly the "difference". I just got a report the other day where the "difference" was $1800 which is substantial.
Glad you were able to find this blog and not waste any further time. More importantly, glad you are not out your artwork or hard-earned cash!
Yes I have got this email too ! glad I found this blog
ReplyDeletethank you
My name is Susan Shors and my credit card was used fraudulently last month to buy art in New Mexico. Now I am fearing identity theft!
ReplyDeleteSusan,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear you are going through this. Often scammers will use stolen credit card numbers but in these cases they are more after the cash than the things they can buy with the cash. But they want the credit card to come up as valid so they sometimes use stolen credit cards before they get reported.