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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Scam Email: Elaine Jackson

I love your site. My husband got an email from a woman who wanted to by 4 paintings off his website. She lives in San Francisco & was moving to South Africa soon. She also had her own shipping company. How do they part you from your money? An unknown artists' work is almost worthless especially in another country, so they wouldn't be selling the art. My husband Gene, told them he would need cash in hand before he started the project & it would be at least 3 weeks. He never got another email. There info is as follows: Elaine Jackson-[mailto:elainejackson.05@gmail.com] The shipping company: Home Front Freight and Logistics Service Logistics Ltd. No actual email address. Yes, they used Logitics twice in the name. I look forward to a reply. Wendy
Yes, this is the classic scam setup. How they separate you from your money is once you agree to the buy, they will send you MORE than the amount due. Much more. And tell you, for whatever reason, they need that extra amount they sent you forwarded to the shipping company - by YOU. You deposit their check and then forward the difference to the shipping company. The check is fake. There is no shipping company - you are only sending your GOOD cash back to the scammers, who sit at the other end of Western Union. That is what they are after - not the art. In fact, often they never receive the art that has been shipped because the address is made up. They are after that cash, which can often be anywhere from $500 to over $5000 sometimes.

Good you caught this one before anything bad happened.

21 comments:

  1. Dear Kathleen,

    Last week I got an email from good ol' Elaine Jackson, asking to buy several paintings of mine from my website.

    I was wary of the whole thing because of the language/grammar of the email. I told her (or whoever it is) that she should go through my gallery, but they replied right away and said they wanted to deal directly. So I agreed, but decided to proceed with caution.

    When I told her the prices, she decided to buy only one painting, which seemed normal to me. She then put me in contact with her shipper. The shipper emailed me today, and I thought it way too fishy that the grammar/phrasing smacked of an African scamming technique. When I plugged in the name of the shipping company into a Google search, your blog came up describing everything ... right down to the name Elaine Jackson.

    So thank you SO much for saving me from a nightmare! I think I would have seen through it if they sent me a check for way over the funds, but I'm glad to have side-stepped any stickiness from the whole thing.

    My question for you is - I've given them my address and phone number ... is that going to be a problem for me?

    All Best!
    Noah

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  2. Hi Kathleen,  I feel i am in the process of being scammed for my artwork.  i am to receive a cashiers check from (Elaine Jackson---who I saw in your list as scammers).  Of course an overpayment was involved.  What should I do once i receive the cashier's check today?  Please call me asap if you can before the check arrives before 10:30 central time.  I thought it sounded too good to be true.  Rick

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  3. Hi Rick,

    No need to panic or rush now. The check will turn out to be fraudulent. If they sent it via USPS, you can report it to the authorities as it is mail fraud (https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/MailFraud/MailFraud.aspx). The email to report fraud via UPS is fraud@ups.com. Unfortunately FedEx does not have one. There is also an FBI link to report online fraud at http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

    You are not required to reply and give this scammer any further attention. Oh, they will certainly send you more email to follow up, because you got this far into the scam, but there is nothing saying you have to reply any further. And at least you made them spend a little money sending you the check.

    Do NOT send any money or product to them! You are done now.

    Congratulate yourself on catching this before you lost anything!

    Kathleen

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  4. Thanks Kathleen,  It is supposed to be coming by Fed Ex.  So should i just report it to the FBI link?  I would love to get on the email to tell them i caught their fraud, but I guess that wouldn't be the thing to do.  I am so grateful I found your site.  Rick

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  5. Rick,

    I figured they'd use FedEx, because that's the one service that doesn't seem to care to receive complaints about this.

    I KNOW its always our first inclination to want to take back control and tell the spammers we're on to them, but believe - they don't care and they are used to it. They will just move on to sending more scam emails and trying to catch more victims. It's a numbers game to them.

    I looked at FedEx website one more time and they provide this email address for email fraud, so I think you can submit your complaint there as well. Provide all the details you can, but scammers have been doing this for years and know how to not be traced. On the other hand, reporting it anyway, just give FedEx a feel for the scope of the problem. If they get enough complaints, they may do something about it. Here is the FedEx email: abuse@fedex.com

    Kathleen

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  6. Kathleen- this is the latest email i received, maybe it can help for your site.  i got the fed ex check and it was for $5000.  I am now going to report to fed ex and fbi.  thanks, rick  should i record her email as spam?

    ----- Forwarded Message -----
    From: "Elaine Jackson" [eljackson.05@gmail.com]
    Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 1:07:03 PM
    Subject: Payment Delivered:Get the ball rolling

    Hi Rick,

    Thanks so much for your prompt response to my email this morning,and I`m grateful to you that you understand what I`m going through at the moment.I checked the fedex website just now and found that the payment for those creative works I am purchasing from you has been delivered at exactly  10:30 AM,the check is a refund for a canceled order as a result of our recent relocation plan.
    Therefore,I will like you to proceed to your bank to deposit the check as soon as the funds has been processed by your bank we can proceed with the shipments. The rest of the funds will be for the shipment of the artworks and the other house items we are moving to our new home in Johannesburg. You will do me a favor to pay the movers when they come for the pick up.The Shipper had advised us that he will forward the information you need for the remittance as soon as they can.
    I will look forward to hearing from you as soon as you have deposited the check so that I can contact the person that issued the payment to facilitate its prompt clearance at your bank.
    Regards,
    Elaine

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  7. Notice how the scammer's email has changed in the course of the correspondence.

    Yes, mark this email as spam.

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  8. I just received an email from "Elaine Jackson" today. The email felt wrong so I searched "elaine jackson email scam" and this site came up.
    thank you!

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  9. I got Elaine's email yesterday and did Whois to see if Nigerian scam again. All source info was hidden, but I went to my website and checked to see who had visited: sure enough, a visitor from Lagos, Nigeria had looked at the same photo's that were requested to purchase in the email. Did whois on IP address: 41.155.88.249, which was Nigeria.

    They are getting slick in hiding their originating IP address.

    Can I still collect the money and make out like a bandit?

    Thanks for posting the scam. One of several I've had wanting to ship while customer was moving. This time it was "to be hung in our new home in South Africa".

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  10. I'm not surprised this is the source IP. Not all come from Nigeria, but it sure does seem like a lot of them do.

    The scam would not have had the staying power it does if you COULD collect the money and make out like a bandit. The thing about the scam is none of their "money" is valid. None of it. The check will be bad. Or the credit card will turn out to be stolen. The shipping company doesn't exist. The only money that IS real in the scam is if the victim forwards the "difference" themselves out of their account to the non-existent shipper.

    The only satisfaction I've gotten out making the scammers spend their own money is getting them to overnight the check (for which they do have to give FedEx or whoever they use real money, usually cash), as many times as THEY will fall for. I've gotten as high as four times but the usual is two. I don't get the cash and it's not much money to speak of, but is somehow entertaining to me anyway.

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  11. Thanks so much all... I just got an email from "Elaine" too. Sounded fishy. I am seriously grateful to you (and to google... I wonder if I would've found you if they hadn't used the same name???).

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  12. CB,

    Really, this is how the blog works. My goal is to post as many actual scam emails as I can (and people's comments to them) and then educate artists FIRST by getting them to just think to check it out by googling before doing anything. I'm seeing more and more artists are actually doing this. I've got to hope then we show up in the search results and we typically do. And as the scammers change up their fake names and fake email addresses, people write comments and say so and that shows up in the search results.

    So that is sort of how I hope it works and I'm glad to hear that in your case, as well, it did help.

    The scammer collecting up emails for "Elaine Jackson" must have sent just a zillion of them, because there have been many reports of receiving this one.

    Hopefully no one will fall for this.

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  13. How are you sure that the Elaine Jackson is even in Nigeria? She will always be 10 steps ahead of you all..................

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  14. Thanks very much for all this information. I was just approached in the same manner and it indeed did not "smell" right...rush, rush etc. We all have to be careful.

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  15. Actually, where the scammer that is using the fake name of Elaine Jackson is really located is irrelevant. It doesn't matter.

    All that matters is that we get better and better at helping people learn how to recognize these scam emails BEFORE they send any money or product.

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  16. Suspicious of an "immediate" transaction to buy
    4 of my artworks to be shipped to South Africa,
    decided to check-out the credibility of
    "Anita Primoff." Couldn't find anyone of that name
    in Seattle, but did find out the freight people
    were fraudulent. Thanks for helping we artists to
    remain alert!

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  17. I went through countless blogs, each different in its own way, but by far this blog is far better than the rest. In both content and design, really good job in keeping it up.

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  18. The email I got was from Besty Cole (Besty, not Betsy) and they were moving from Seattle to South Africa. She wanted to use her moving company "Aerofield Freight and Logistic Services LTD." which cannot be found with any online presence.

    I'm fairly certain this is a scam.

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  19. You would be correct. It's a scam.

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  20. The woman, if she actually is a women has used other alias names in the same scam. One recent name used is Cynthia Hilson and the name of her new shipping company is Aerofield Freight And Logistics Services, Ltd. She too was moving from Seattle to South Africa. The fraud scam actually originates in Nigeria, no surprise. Here is her first email to me, I could see this was a fraud from the beginning, and I actually milked her along and actually got her check, supposably from her 'Husband' and the check was $3000 more than I told her the prints were going to be. I am turning over to the post office fraud department.
    ----
    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.....................

    Mule Deer, Grand Teton National Park
    Moose, Grand Teton National Park
    Oriental Poppies
    Claret Cup Cactus
    Beach Resort, Tahiti
    Monument Valley
    Winter Reflections, Zion National Park

    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,
    Cynthia Hilson

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  21. It's very likely not a woman and yes, at least you got them to spend a little money sending you a fraudulent check. They were hoping to rip you off for $3000. They tend to keep it at a level that is a good "living" for them but stays off the radar of the authorities. If the authorities added up how much is getting lost by people, they might feel differently, but so far individual losses at those levels are just not a priority.

    But always to report and get something on file.

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