Scam Email: Thomas Bill

We have reports on this under the comments section of Robin Map scam report as well. Time to give this one it's own page!

From: Thomas Bill [mailto:thomasbill11@ymail.com]
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 7:22 AM
Subject: leave the shame behind

Hello,

I go through your art work and i really like your creative, due to this i really have the interest in buying this your work, so kindly email me the price of it and the info about the work because i really like it and also my wife also have an interest in it as well because we saw it together from your web and we want to buy it.

Hope to read from you,

Best Regards.

Thomas.

Scam Email: Garett H Inc

Here's the usual: 

ReplyTo: [garetthinc@ymail.com]
Cc: [recipientlistnotshown]
Subject: EMAIL ORDER

Hello,

This mail is to make inquiry on the below question.

1- Do you carry oversea? (though i already know of a freight forwarder that will pick my packages from you,since they ship lesser than any other courier and they are so effective in shipping my goods to me here in Victoria , Australia is estimated to be 3-4days) I have used there service in the past and it was splendid.

2- Do you accept credit card for payment (my U.S.A Master and Visa card to be precise)?

Kindly let me know your comments on these, before  i send the items i am interested in purchasing from you.

Best Regards.
President
Garett H Inc
297 Diagonal Road Oaklands Park
5046 Adelaide Australia
+61390169230
Reply to: garetthinc@ymail.com

Scam Email: Shirley Truman

Here's a scammer that filled out a website contact form to begin the scam process. I love the last sentence. Rude of them to imply my website needs updating! [smile]

From: Shirley Truman (shirleytruman@rocketmail.com)

Comment:
Hi,
will like to know if you sell your art internationally as your artwork caught my interest and i am willing to purchase some piece therefore do you have the capacity to ship abroad Estonia and accept Credit Card as a form of payment?
I anticipate your swift response with your updated webpage.
Best
Shirley Truman

When told only paypal payments would be accepted, here was the scammer response:

From: Shirley Truman [shirleytruman@rocketmail.com]
Subject: Re: Comment from [website url inserted here]

Hi,
Thank you for the swift response,
I can only pay with giving you my credit card number and expiry because my URL would not allow me to complete any transaction of such online.
I want you to get back to me asap so that we can know how to proceed .
Best
Shirley Truman

Playing dumb.... also cleverly inserted the website url in the subject line so they could keep track of their "presonalization" of the exchange and not tip the potential victim off too soon that something was not right. Tssk tssk, fake Shirley Truman....

Scam Email: Robin Map II

We already have a previous report and lots of replies on the scammer using the name of "Robin Map". This is the guy that seems to be also using Skype with his victims. One artist thinks she actually found a photo of him on flicker. He seems to be from Dubai. And oddly, he actually looks like a scammer, pretty slimey-looking.

Anyway, here is another email exchange with a potential victim, to show you what they look like.

First Email (just signs it "Map." funny...):

From: Robin Map [robinmap1@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 11:17 AM
Subject: [name of item inserted here]
Hello,

I go through your art work and i really like your creative, due to
this i really have the interest in buying this your work, so kindly
email me the price of it and the info about the work because i
really like it and also my wife also have an interest in it as well
because we saw it together from your web and we want to buy it.

Hope to read from you,

Map.

Second Email:

From: Robin Map [robinmap1@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2011 11:25 PM
Subject: Re: [name of item inserted here]

Hi Joe,

No problem you can build and make another one for me just exactly like the former one, email me the price it will cost and how long will it take you to finish it.

Robin.

Third Email (where he miraculously becomes "Thomas" by the end of the email):

From: Robin Map [robinmap1@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 4:45 PM
Subject: Transaction begin.......

Hi Joe,

I really appreciate your response regarding the info about the piece and the price Thank you a lot for that.
 Regarding to where i live, am from Netherlands which is the place  that am staying and living including me and my family, Due to this the payment will be through Cheque or Money Oder base on the one that you want.
 Once again i will arrange the acqurate shipping company that will come for the pickup of the piece where ever is locate due to damagies and lost of goods that normally happen now adays, that is the reason why i decide to arrange the pick up by my self so that the piece will not lost or damage before it arrive to my destination here.
 For the sake of me arranging the shipping company that will come for the pick up i will definately provide the shipment fees for the pick up on the same cheque or Money oder that i will mail to you.
 Email me the info below in other for the cheque or the money oder to be send out to you once i receve the below info.
 Name that will be written on cheque;
 Your Address where the cheque or money order will be mail too;
 Including your Phone Number along;
 Immediately i receive the above info i will email you and notify you on when you should be expecting the payment and immediately the payment has been send put i will notify you as well in other for you to be expecting it and watching out for is arriver.
 I hope you understand my mail if there is any question that you may have regarding my arrangement you are welcome to ask any questions, also if you don't mind here is my skype user id thomasbill11 we can use skype to communicate with each other by calling our self and by chatting and discussing without self, in a case you don't have a skype user id yet kindly go to www.skype.com and download it and after downloading register with skype and email me your user id so i can add you to my skype id.

 I will be waiting for your response,
 Thomas.

Call-Forwarding Scam Reappears

Don't Be Tricked Into Dialing *72

Officials are warning people to be careful of an old con that's popped up again -- the call forwarding scam.

Victims often think they're doing a kindness to a stranger or for a friend. The phone rings, usually late at night, and callers tell the victim someone has been injured, and to contact an officer at the scene.

How to get the officer? By dialing *72, then a phone number.

But that *72 only activates the call forwarding function -- letting the con artists make collect phone calls and pay-per call services on your dime. Many people don't find out they've been conned until they receive a whopping phone bill.

It's recently been an issue in Michigan, where the Isabella County Sheriff's office issued a warning.

A similar scam involved someone claiming to be an inmate, saying he dialed the wrong number, explaining he has been arrested -- and please dial *72 and the "right number" so he can reach his mother or family.

That's how the scam started in 2004, when Cook County Jail inmates in Chicago used *72 to make hundreds of long-distance calls, all paid for by someone else.

Better Business Bureau officials say consumers who fall for the scam should dial *73 to deactivate the feature and report unauthorized charges to their phone companies.

Scam Email: Joe Thomas

Someone just forwarded me this email. We've reported on the use of the name Stan Thomas in the past. The format of this scam is just the same as we've seen to artists, but the items mentioned this time are non-art items from the person who forwarded me the email. It's worth posting, in case an artist gets one just like this but listing their artwork instead.

Hello,

We would like to inquire if you have in stock or can help us to get the description items below,

1: SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER, 20amps and above.
2: Grundfos SQ Flex 11 SQF -2 Submersible pump (part no 95027335)
3: 180watt or 235watt solar panel.
4: DC-AC POWER INVERTER 1000watts and above and it should be in 12vdc to
220/230/240vac

Also interested in the toners descriptions below

1: HP Q6511A (11A) OEM
2: HP C8543X (43X) OEM
3: HP C9730A (30A) OEM

Please let us know the price of each item listed above. I would also like to know type of credit card that you accepted in making payment when purchased from your company.I really appreciate your time and business.

RELIABLE CONTRACTOR
4875 E La Palma Ave,
Anaheim, CA, 92801
reliablecontractor@albmasterdesign.com
Joe Thomas. 

Scam Email: Dennis Voutila

Notice how the TO field is just a huge undisclosed list and his sob story about losing the web link. This is a new technique for scammers so they can somehow track the personalization of the scam and reference it in future correspondence with the intended victim.

First Email:

From: Dennis Voutila
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Inquiry about your website

The images in your website is so fascinating and so vivacious looking at each piece of work make me know you added so much dedication in making each work come out to life  but unfortunately i lost the weblink but i was able to save your email address am writing you because i need your help to get back to your website so that i can be able to see more of  your work and purchase some for my apartment. I  reside in Victoria Australia hope to read from you soon.
Regards
Dennis

Second Email (now he's getting all warm and fuzzy to reel the victim in):

From: Dennis Voutila [dennisvoutila@yahoo.com.au]
To:
Subject: ....: Inquiry about your website

 Dear Liz
    I keep wondering how much time and effort you devoted into your work to make the following piece a one of a kind and as i can see from the images you sent to me your work as a pleasant and a suiting feeling and am so sure it will bring comfort and happiness into my home and to those that view it. I will be purchasing the following piece listed below

[names of pieces inserted here]

Payment for those piece will be made through UK bank cheque and the  money can be withdraw from my account i will be sending £5000 to cover the cost of the piece and shipping of the artwork i also have some Antique to be shipped from the Cardiff Wales i think it will be better if the shippers picking up the Antique can come pick up the
artwork from you so as to save time and money.
So i would let the shippers know that they will be coming over to your area to pick-up the artwork and have them delivered to me.I will be needing your contact address and phone number to write and send the cheque to you,hope to read from you soon. kindly include the name you want written on cheque
Regards
Dennis

Below is my shipping Address
Dennis Voutila
8/818 Bourke Street, Docklands,
VICTORIA, 3008
AUSTRALIA
Email: dennisvoutila@yahoo.com.au
Phone: +61 3 6401 1000
Fax: +61 3 6801 32 22

Fortunately, it was at this point that the artist googled the name and this blog came up and they knew it was a scam. So no money or art lost this time!

Scam Email: Robin Map

This scam is typical in all it's content but what was newsworthy about it was the artist who forwarded it to me said, "I went on Skype with him (allegedly for him to prove he was real) but he was Nigerian, typing to lots of other people at once, and very shady, and would only deal with cheques and to get his own people to 'ship' the work. Total fraudster! Beware!" They got the scamster on Skype! I am wondering if they can maintain their untraceability that way. I'm sure they've thought that all through but I think it is a scary escalation in the scam world to now be able to SEE what these cockroaches look like!! Yuck. Email this scammer used was robinmap1@yahoo.com.

Hello,

I go through your art work and i really like your creative, due to this i really have the interest in buying this your work, so kindly email me the price of it and the info about the work because i
really like it and also my wife also have an interest in it as well because we saw it together from your web and we want to buy it.

Hope to read from you,

Robin.

Scam Email: Anita James Primoff

We have another report on the scammer using the fake name of Anita Primoff and he finally found my very own email just now. I decided to post a new report to make sure people who are searching on Anita James Primoff find this report in google search results.

The scammer is using a gmail account but I did notice in the full headers the email was routed through wanadoo.fr, which is another service out of France that scammers and spammers in general use. Everything about this email has all the classic signs of a scam - poor formatting, the moving from one country to another, setting up the "story" of why they are using their third-party shipper, asking for the prices when my website already lists the prices, etc.

They say their cashier's check "can be easily cashed" at your local bank but we all know that isn't true.

I'll underscore again. ANY email (and I do mean ANY) that email insist on the use of their 3rd party shipper and where the check they send is for more than what is owed, asking you to forward the difference to the shipper - it is a scam and DO NOT send anything. Don't deposit the check (you can always ask the bank to check out the check without depositing and opening yourself to bounced check fees) and stop all conversation. Let them spend the cost to send you the check and you haven't lost anything - money or artwork.

Even though I do this blog and run a facebook page with the same purpose of exposing them and reducing the number of victims, the scammers still send me scams as much as anyone else. It's a numbers game to them. They don't care. So all we can do is keep posting their emails, fake names and email addresses and keep alerting as many people as possible to this BEFORE they lose anything.

Return-Path: [anjimoff@gmail.com]
Subject: artworks purchase
From: Anita James Primoff [anjimoff@gmail.com]

Good day to you.

I am so excited that I came across of your work on internet search,I am interested in purchasing these creative artworks from you.....................

[name of art pieces inserted here]

Let me know their various prices.and how much discounts are you going to give?I will be happy to have these selected artworks hung in our new home in South Africa.As well,I want you to take out the shipping cost.I have been in touch with a shipping firm that will be shipping other house decoratives.

We are traveling from our Seattle home to our new apartment as soon as possible.On Paying for the artworks,I will be glad to pay you with a Money Order or Cashier`s check in US funds that can be easily cashed at your local bank,please let me know on how to proceed for the payment of the creative artworks.

I will await your advise on how to proceed.Have a wonderful day.

Take care,
Anita James

Scam Email: Anita Primoff

Just received this email from an artist:

HI just received this one on my art website. Guess it is a scam. Darn Sales would have been nice. Just posting this to warn other artist. Thanks Kathleen

Good day to you.

I am so excited that I came across of your work on internet search,I am interested in purchasing these creative artworks from you.....................

Yellowstone:Meadow Light Morning,Spring Edge
plein aire oil paintings:2,5 & 11

Let me know their various prices.and how much discounts are you going to give?I will be happy to have these selected artworks hung in our new home in South Africa.As well,I want you to take out the shipping cost.I have been in touch with a shipping firm that will be shipping other house decoratives.

We are traveling from our Seattle home to our new apartment as soon as possible.On Paying for the artworks,I will be glad to pay you with a Money Order or Cashier`s check in US funds that can be easily cashed at your local bank,please let me know on how to proceed for the payment of the creative artworks.

I will await your advise on how to proceed.Have a wonderful day.

Take care,
Anita Primoff

Bummer!!!