Here's an email I received from an artist:
Hello Kathleen,
I found your blog and thought I'd forward this to you. I was recently contacted by a Sgt. Mike Walter with the following emails. I did have the painting framed but that's OK, I'm just out $300 for that and it's not a big deal. But I started getting suspicious about this transaction and at this point I really think its a total scam. Yes, the kicker $2900 more than the asking price. I'm not going any further with this thing. I have the check which came from a bank in Utah and yet was posted from the UK. That makes no sense to me. In your blog you recommend just stop replying to the emails. Do the police or anyone else actually investigate this stuff. What do you recommend doing, besides stop replying to the emails? Thanks,
Denise
And here is the string of emails from the scammer (I've put my reply in the comments below):
From: Mike Walter [sgtmikewalter@gmail.com]
Date: November 21, 2011 11:35:48 PM PST
Subject: Payment Information
Hi,
Thanks for the message,I am very happy to know that the Artwork is still available for sale. i must tell you i am very much interested in the immediate purchase and i am willing to pay the asking price ($1000) for it framed .
I will like to let you know that your payment will be in a Certified Check and i will wait till it clears your bank before telling my shipper to come for the pick up, this will not take time at all because the payment will be sent out immediately i read back from you.You don't have to worry about shipment, my shipper will handle it. So get back to me with the information needed to send you the payment
I:E :
Full Name
Standard Mailing Address
Phone numbers
so that i can proceed in the payment arrangement. I will like you to consider it sold and get back to me asap with needed information to mail the payment.
Kind Regards and God bless you.
Mike.
Begin forwarded message:
From: Brad Bucknor [movingalltheway@yahoo.com]
Date: December 1, 2011 6:37:34 AM PST
Subject: Packing and Shipment arrangements for Sgt Mike Walter
Reply-To: Brad Bucknor [movingalltheway@yahoo.com]
Hi,
I have received communication from Sgt Mike Walter that we should work with you to pack and ship some artwork of his together with his other house decors to his new house in Indianapolis, IN when you two are through with the transaction,as he advise.
I will like you to get back with the kind and nature of the things he want to ship.I will like to have your studio/home address ,so i can make arrangement with any nearby Agent that will be coming for the pick up once you and Sgt Walter are through with the transactions. Thanks.
I will be happy to get an early reply from you so that i can begin arrangements on my end. Thanks.
Brad.
Pack N Box Movers and Logistics LTD
"Movers you can trust"
Email: movingalltheway@yahoo.com
Begin forwarded message:
From: Mike Walter [sgtmikewalter@gmail.com]
Date: December 3, 2011 10:24:14 AM PST
Subject: Payment Delivery
I have been expecting your email message because the courier service that will deliver the check has told me that it will be delivered today, get back to me as soon as possible so that i can know the delivery status of the check and get back to them if it is not yet delivered.
Regards.
Mike.
Begin forwarded message:
From: Mike Walter [sgtmikewalter@gmail.com]
Date: December 4, 2011 2:01:46 AM PST
Subject: Payment
Hi Denise,
Thanks for the message, i am very happy that the check has been finally delivered to you despite all the delay, I told you in my previous email that the remaining fund will be for the movers that will be moving all my decors to my new home and your Painting is included.I would have handled this in a more different way if not for my present deployment and now i am in Yemen, Deduct $1300 for the painting, Western Union Charges and your running around expenses.the remaining $2600 is to be sent to the movers to schedule pick-up asap, Please contact the movers for the information that will be required to send them the funds via western union money transfer and i am sure they will work with you and make sure the pick-up arrangement will be as easy as possible...Thanks for your patience and honesty in this transaction so far, please feel free to advice.... Thanks again and God bless you.
Kind Regards..
Mike.
Yes, it has all the standard formatting and content of a scam - and the flags, as you have seen (paying more than the amount, check not making sense, made-up shipping company, etc).
ReplyDeleteI am not sure that the authorities would consider yet that you have a financial loss - you didn't lose the piece and even though you did frame it, you still have the piece to sell. And this is where the scammers live, because the authorities don't really do much until there is financial loss (and even then they don't really do much until the amount of the loss is substantial). And scammers know this. It is why I started the blog - I couldn't see another way to fight back and reduce the amount of victims this scam successfully traps.
I'm sorry about the framing, but the good news is you got it before you forwarded any money to Western Union. That's the good news. You can turn the check into your bank but I also don't think they do much either, other than confirm the check is fraudulent (which it is). Definitely STOP replying to all messages and occasionally scammers will actually call. You can just say the FBI has asked me to record this call, how can I help you? (and you can bet they will hang up real fast and never call back again - they *need* to stay in the shadows).
Thanks for writing in and sharing your story. It will help others.
I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation at this moment. I have been in correspondence with a person who states they are moving to the UK. Everything seemed normal until they sent me a cashier's check for the agreed upon artwork, but it is $2,800 more than the price of the work. Same thing - sent from the UK, but issued from a U.S. bank, and the check doesn't appear to have any of the security watermarks.
ReplyDeleteThey have instructed me to pay the remaining amount to the movers at a UK address via Western Union. Furthermore, the movers were planning to pick up the work at my studio (the buyer is from NJ, moving to London - my studio is in the midwest - not exactly on the way to London). I have not had a chance to confirm if the check is a fraud at the bank yet, but I will do this first thing on monday - it is curious that it arrived on Saturday after that banks are closed, and they wish to pick up the artwork first thing in the week (any thoughts on this?).
Fortunately, in contrast to being the naive idiot that I normally am, I decided to do some browsing to see what came up for the shipping company (conveniently - Pack N Box Movers LTD), and found your blog.
I just received this last email a moment ago:
"Hi Michael,
Hope this message finds you well. I got the attached email from the
movers some minutes ago. I am so excited everything is moving smoothly and can't wait to have the prints on my wall.
Meanwhile , I spoke with my husband this morning and he will like you
to go ahead and forward just $2050 minus charges to the movers. He
said i can use the remaining funds ( $750 ) for future purchase from
you. I am so happy when i heard this and will like to wait until we
settle down before i decide on what to do.
I am very sorry for the inconvieniences but i will like you to go
ahead and send the funds to the movers so they can be able to come for
the pick up has scheduled. Try and update me as soon as you handle the
transfer and they come for the pick up.
Hope to hear back from you soon. Thanks."
So, you suggest no replying to any more messages, but what is the best way to report this? I'm not out of any money at this point (just time), but I would like to see people who are doing this pay for it. Also, should I be concerned about them having my home and contact info?
Thanks for your time
-M
What's so cool about this post is that I tried to post about the above scammer as soon as an artist let me know and just a little bit later you searched on that very term for the shipping company and it saved you.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE it! It's why I do this.
Thanks for sharing this. It made my day.
Hi anonymous, I'm the artist who sent in this scam. I filed a complaint with the ic3.gov site. I plan on filing a complaint with the local police as well on Monday. Do save all the emails and the check and the envelope and everything and contact your local police. Even if they don't do much it's like shining a light on these cockroaches. If they contact or start threatening i'm planning on telling them that the check is fraudulent and I have contacted authorities. That should stop the emails. It's unfortunate that the cops can't do a sting on these people. I began to be suspicious when the guy would not send me his name , address and phone# plus made a big deal about having a courier and a moving company drop off the check and pick up the work. That is a red flag and when I saw the over payment I knew it was bogus. Good luck on your situation. As long as you haven't wired them money I don't think they can do much. Like complain about a fraudulent check they sent you. Just tell them you've contacted the police.
ReplyDeleteI heard from the same mike walter, just yesterday! But hadn't gotten beyond the reference to the certified check and the shippers. Than,s for saving me from wondering and getting entangled.
ReplyDeleteThe guy has contacted me 2X since he sent the so called cashier's check .
ReplyDeletePretty much on schedule with that. They want their money. I spoke with the police today and they said its' pretty much true to form. Should I leave these bozos hanging or tell them I've contacted the police? I think I'll wait and see how many more emails they send.
You can tell them either you never received the cashier's check and send another overnighted, or if they already know you have it, tell them the bank said insufficient funds and have them send another check (overnighted of course) when they deposit more money in their account. That way at least the scammers lose a little bit of their own money. But that's only if you want to toy with them. Otherwise, just stop all communication - the same as they would once they realize you are on to them.
ReplyDeleteThanks- I just got an email offer for a painting from Sgt.Mike Walter - sgtmikewalter@gmail.com -
ReplyDeleteIt was oddly worded so I searched his name and found your site- Thanks so much for posting this info. Peace
Thanks! Just got an email from sgtmikewalter@gmail.com too. Seemed fishy. Goggled him....got this site.
ReplyDeleteI too got a strange email inquiry out of the blue (never happens- clients come through other clients, art dealers, decorators, friends, or someone) - googled and found this site. Thank you for the alert.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathleen,
ReplyDeleteI want to thank you for your heads-up about Sgt. Mike Walters who contacted me about buying my artwork. His emails creeped me out (obsequious and strangely-worded), so I googled him and found your post.
I also found that someone named Sgt. Michael Walter Johnson was killed in 2003 in Vermont - so perhaps that's from whom the creep borrowed his name/email address.
I just reported "Sgt. Mike Walter" to the FBI using their scam report website.
Thank you again,
Sara
I also received an email from sgtmikewalter and something did not quite gell... Suffice it to say that my antenna was raised and I also found your site...
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this information- It will save me from much headache and embroilment in something unsavory.
KR
WOW - the wording is almost exact to what I have been getting!!!
ReplyDeleteI got a similar set of emails and received a cashier's check for more than twice the artwork's price, and then the follow-up email from Brad at Pack. n Box. I called Wescom Credit Union, the purported check issuer, and they confirmed the check is not valid. Their abuse page also says fraudulent Wescom cashier's checks are being circulated nationwide. I haven't informed Sgt. Mike that I know what he's doing yet. Wescom is a Southern California credit union, by the way. The check was "issued" January 18 and I received it on the 20th -- in an envelope bearing a stamp from the UK (but no postmark). Pretty rapid transit: check goes from the credit union to England to Oakland in a day and a half. He should think that through.
ReplyDeleteThe great news about scammers is that, so far, they aren't bright enough to think through much of what they are doing. Our scammer circulating under the name of "Sgt. Mike" seems to be still active, so thanks for sharing your experiences so we can continue to be on the alert.
ReplyDeleteI just received the same scam from a scammer using the name Gretta White.
ReplyDeletethanks for the blog.
I also have gotten the same kind of thing from Gretta White. What these folks do is to find a house that is for sale and then give that as the address from which they are moving. When I get these kind of requests, I begin the negotiations by telling them that I use my own shipping. That has made no difference for Gretta. I just got an email from the same shipping company. Supposedly, a check is on its way. How can we catch these guys?
ReplyDelete