My favorite... when a scammer tries to act all indignant in order to get their victims to act quickly.
Begin forwarded message:
> From: jim west [westjim0009@gmail.com]
> Subject: Re: What is going on? Why?
>
> I have sent you couple of emails, why are you not replying my messages when you got my payment? is this how you treat your client?
>
No, it's how we treat a scammer who sends a counterfeit check.
Saturday, January 27, 2018
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I just received one today. I haven't fixed any spacing errors, and the sender did not include a name after "Regards":
ReplyDeleteFrom: Mc Will
Subject: Piece Suggestion for my 20th Anniversary
Hello There,
My name is Mcwilliams from Washington DC. I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife's anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $500 to $5000.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment.
I find it so funny that they copy and paste the EXACT same verbiage. Seriously? Also, they need to up their budget!:)
DeleteI want to take this platform to pre-notify all those who might be pretending to do business with Philippe Ballesio. This subject is located in London, United Kingdom with his wife Rosalie Lai Ballesio, is dedicated to: Store Design and Visual Merchandising - Technical Development, Engineering, Quality & Supply Chain, however he denounced that through his work of installation of POS operations also installed a virus on my computer and stole customer data at the company where I work.
ReplyDeleteBeware of this guy named Philippe Ballesio, is a French citizen based in London, is a computer engineer and has multiple platforms dedicated to cheat.
ReplyDeletePhilippe Bellasio Unauthorized security software scams. Philippe Bellasio offers the sale of this software that in the market is better known as “scareware”, I could offer a limited security or in any case none. This scam can appear on social networks, search engines or pop-ups of your computer as messages of a fake virus. The program causes deceptive alerts, attempts to participate in fraudulent transactions and damages your equipment.
Thank you for your commitment to helping others! I am trying to help my mom with a potential art scam, a man from Singapore wants to buy and resell her art. He seems very believable. He wants her to set up a DBA/merchant account so he can use a credit card to purchase 3 paintings (and if it all goes well and he can sell her work, then more.) I’m worried.
ReplyDeleteYou would be right to be worried. There are not enough details in this to know if it is for real. Who is this guy in Singapore. Can he be found online? Does he have an online footprint that has any history to it? Why would SHE need to set up a merchant account as the seller? Does your mom have a PayPal account? That might be one way to start. Make the initial purchase go through PayPal (he can use his credit card there) and just like he is saying, "if that goes well", you can see what else is needed. But really, you should be able to do this through PayPal.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing to look out for with PayPal is sometimes scammers send fake emails like look exactly like a real PayPal email that says the money has been sent, when it has not. Always log into PayPal separately (not from a link in any email) and NEVER NEVER ever wire money to anyone for ANY reason if you are the seller. That is how this scam works - they try to pay with fraudulent checks or stolen credit cards and ask you to forward money - to a shipper (which is also fake) or some other similar story. Just decide to never wire money to anyone for any reason as the seller in a transaction and that is half the battle against scammers.
If suddenly you never hear from him again, consider yourself lucky, it means they have moved on to their next potential victim.
Just received an email using some of the same verbiage, definitely a scam....
ReplyDeleteGood day to you, I am Peter Atkinson from Honolulu, Hawaii. I have been on a search for some artworks lately for my wife's birthday before I stormed on some of your works which I found impressive, looking at each piece of work I can easily see that you added so much dedication in making each work come out to life.
I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife on her birthday. I will appreciate it if you could possibly recommend and send some pictures of your chosen piece of works, prices and sizes which are ready for sales to me.
I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment because my wife handles the family bank cards and pay pal transactions...
Regards,
Peter.
The company BTCMT4 is a scam, the owner Philippe Ballesio and his wife Rosalie Lai Ballesio, sell EA's and offer PAMM accounts, through these products that do not work. I was initially asked to deposit money in the bank societé generale to an account number: IBAN: 'FR76300030001000005765297724', and that the holder was Philippe Ballesio. But after making deposited they never answered my messages. They are scammers! Give me my money!
ReplyDeleteCrawford Biller
ReplyDelete4:25 AM (10 hours ago)
to
My Name Is Crawford Biller from Ireland. I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife's anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $500 to $5,000.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept Paypal as a means of payment.
Regards
One I received... nickdoug7@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteMessage:
Greetings, My name is Nick Doug from Ohio.. I actually observed my wife has been viewing your website on my laptop and i guess she likes your piece of work, I'm also impressed and amazed to have seen your various works too,You are doing a great job. I would like to receive further information about your piece of work and what inspires you.. Kindly confirm the availability for immediate sales.. Thanks and best regards..
nickdoug7@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteMessage:
Greetings, My name is Nick Doug from Ohio.. I actually observed my wife has been viewing your website on my laptop and i guess she likes your piece of work, I'm also impressed and amazed to have seen your various works too,You are doing a great job. I would like to receive further information about your piece of work and what inspires you.. Kindly confirm the availability for immediate sales.. Thanks and best regards..
Just received this
ReplyDeleteHello There,
My Name Is Benson Cameron from Washington DC. I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife's anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $500 to $5000.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment.
The alarm bells rang quite early in the email but really made me lol when 'do you except cheques?' kicked in.
Received today:
ReplyDeleteHello There,
My name is Jacob Woods from Richmond Indiana. I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife's anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $500 to $5000.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment.
Regards,
here is one I just received.. Very similar to one I received last year.. different email.. but I wonder if it is the same guy.
ReplyDeleteName: Anderson Matt
Email: andersonmatt8888@gmail.com
Subject: PIECE INQUIRY
Message: Greetings... I am Anderson from richmond indiana . I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife's anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $500 to $5000.
Thank you, I have received the same email and I thought it was very suspicious, so this confirms my impression. Only difference was the name: "Daniel Lester from Clarksville, Tennessee", and the budget was $500 to $2500 instead.
ReplyDeleteSame word for word as above with different name;
ReplyDeleteHello there,
Im James from Cleveland,I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my Wife's anniversary which comes up in two weeks time. I stormed on some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly great at what you do.
I would like to purchase a surprise gift to my Wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $500 to $3,500.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment.
Thanks James Hoffman.
This scam email has apparently been updated a bit for 2020, with an increased budget! ;-)
ReplyDeleteSubject: ARTWORK INQUIRY
Date: Sun, 29 Mar 2020 19:08:23 -0700
From: thomasfletcheroficial@gmail.com
Hello,
I am Thomas from Richmond Indiana. thoughts of the best anniversary gift of the century to my wife has been roaming my mind for a while now. i figured out later that my wife spends noticeable time on viewing artworks from your page on my laptop and i can easily guess she likes your work, which i found quite impressive and intriguing too. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this should be anything that falls under $8000, and if i have to pay more, there should be a reason in terms of worth and value. Your works are impeccable anyways. .
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment
Regards,
Thomas.
Thanks for your helpful page. I just received an e-mail this morning that smelled fishy. It is almost word for word the same scam that (from looking at your blog) seems to have been running for years. Here’s what they sent:
ReplyDeleteName: Billy Warren
Phone: (316) 512-1439
Email Address: scottbillywarren@gmail.com
Message: Hello! How are you doing? I am Billy Warren from Wichita, Kansas. have been on the lookout for artworks in regards to my wife's and my wedding anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i find quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit you are doing quite an amazing job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
That being said, I would like to purchase one or two of your works as a surprise gift to my wife. It would be of great help if you could send me pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $1000 to $5000.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your piece of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept checks as a means of payment?
<<<<<<
Naturally, I will not respond.
Thanks again for your scam blog,
Amy
Got the below this morning - looks like the same guy:
ReplyDeleteMessage Details
Name: Scott Warren
Email: scottbillywarren1@gmail.com
Subject: ARTWORK INQUIRY
Message: Hello Harris!
How are you doing? I am Scott Warren from Wichita, Kansas. I have been on the lookout for artworks in regards to my wife's and my wedding anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which i find quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit you are doing quite an amazing job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
That being said, I would like to purchase one or two of your works as a surprise gift to my wife. It would be of great help if you could send me pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $1000 to $5000.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your piece of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept checks as a means of payment?
Best Regards.
ARTWORK INQUIRY
ReplyDeleteOn Thu, May 21, 2020 at 1:53 PM Richmond Patrick wrote:
Greetings... I am Richmond from Houston, Texas. I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife's anniversary which is just around the corner. I came across some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $1500 to $3000.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment.
Regards,
Richmond
Received 8/31/2020 10:32 P.M.:
ReplyDeleteName:
Joseph
Email:
josephearns93@gmail.com
Message:
Aloha!
How are you doing? I am Joseph Earns from Wichita, Kansas. I have been on the lookout for artworks in regards to my wife's and my wedding anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on to some of your works which I find quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit you are doing quite an amazing job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
That being said, I would like to purchase one or two of your works as a surprise gift to my wife. It would be of great help if you could send me pictures of your piece of work, with their respective prices and sizes, ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $1000 to $5000.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your piece of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept checks as a means of payment? Best Regards.
I received the same email yesterday from josephearns93@gmail.com
DeleteI also just got an email from this address!
DeleteMy name is Joseph Earns, I am an academic event organizer and I'm hearing impaired, i hope you treat me like any of your other customers and my disability doesn't affect our dealings. I got your contact details online, I need the service of an artist or illustrator/cartoonist to work on a project for an upcoming workshop, I'll give the idea of what I need to be illustrated/drawn and you can get back to me with the price to get it done, I'll pay your fees up front if you want. Please get back to me for more details.
Warm regards.
Joseph Earns.
I just got this same email from Joseph earns!!! So glad I looked up the email!! Scammer!!!
ReplyDeleteI got this one today from the contact form on my website:
ReplyDelete"How are you doing? I am Adam Tobias from Nashville, TN. I have been on the lookout for artworks in regards to my wife's and my wedding anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on to some of your works which I find quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit you are doing quite an amazing job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
That being said, I would like to purchase one or two of your works as a surprise gift to my wife. It would be of great help if you could send me pictures of your piece of work, with their respective prices and sizes, ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $1000 to $5000.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your piece of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept checks as a means of payment?"
Good to see this one's still going around. From the contact form on my website.
ReplyDelete" Greetings... I am James from Ohio East Liverpool City, I have been on the lookout for some artworks lately in regards to I and my wife's anniversary which is just around the corner.
I came across some of your works which i found quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works,
with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $500 to $5000.
I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment."
3rd Feb 2022. England, UK. Recieved same spam message from josephearns93@gmail.com
ReplyDelete"How are you doing? I am Joseph Earns from Medford, OR. I have been on the lookout for artworks in regards to my wife's and my wedding anniversary which is just around the corner. I stormed on some of your works which I find quite impressive and intriguing. I must admit you are doing quite an amazing job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do.
That being said, I would like to purchase one or two of your works as a surprise gift to my wife. It would be of great help if you could send me pictures of your piece of work, with their respective prices and sizes, ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this is within the price range of $1000 to $5000.
I look forward to reading from you in view of knowing more about your piece of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept checks as a means of payment?
Best Regards."
I got this one as well.
ReplyDeletejosephearns93@gmail.com
Good day
My name is Joseph Earns, I am an academic event organizer and I'm hearing impaired, i hope you treat me like any of your other customers and my disability doesn't affect our dealings. I got your contact details online, I need the service of an artist or illustrator/cartoonist to work on a project for an upcoming workshop, I'll give the idea of what I need to be illustrated/drawn and you can get back to me with the price to get it done, I'll pay your fees up front if you want. Please get back to me for more details.
Warm regards.
Joseph Earns.
That's just how low scammers will go - trying to use a fake disability to trick people into their scam. Also, how convenient that by pretending to be hearing impaired, they won't have to get on the phone. Just the bottom of the barrel of humanity. Geez. Thanks for sharing this with us!
ReplyDeleteAdding to the josephearns93@gmail.com warnings.
ReplyDeleteI was recently contacted by him to create a series of illustrations for a seminar called PANDEMIC: PRECAUTION AND PREVENTION lol... Very detailed outline and specs but there were a few red flags so I looked him up and found this blog. Thank you Katie.
The same formula just ended up in my inbox, except for a workshop MONKEYPOX DISEASE: PRECAUTION AND PREVENTION
DeleteSo glad it helped!!
ReplyDelete