They ask for the website link, which doesn't make sense to us artists, but they do this because when they send out hundreds of thousands of these, they have no idea who is who when potential victims reply. And they want to personalize the email more for those who actually reply. But for us, asking to buy art and also asking for our website is a total red flag that tips us off it is a scam.
From: Brandon Domergue [brandondomergue@yahoo.ca]
Date: 4 July 2013 23:20:41 BST
To: undisclosed-recipients: ;
Subject: *Purchase Request*
Good Evening,
I am interested in purchasing some of your art work for my self and my budget is between 1000£-2000£ i will like to know if you have works in this category or above.If you do kindly send the images of those ones in this category or website link to the ones in the category.I await to read from you soon.
Regards
Brandon
Just had this very same e-mail myself. I was suspicious but replied with a generic response anyway. This is what came back to me this morning.. see below. I'm trying to compose a sarcastic response...! Many thanks Katie for confirming this is indeed a scam....
ReplyDeleteDear Marc
I must say that i have seen perfection and creativity in your work,it a grand design a lot of work input to get the perfect result.i am about to purchase some of your work because i can vividly see the uniqueness of the pieces,your work also have a pleasant and a suiting feeling, I am so sure it will add sparkles to me
Payment for those pieces will be made by my associate in London,He will send you a cheque from his bank in London and the money can be withdraw from his account, i will be issuing £3500 to cover the cost of the piece and shipping of your work.I have some Furniture to be picked up from a store in Liverpool,so you will deduct your fee from the payment issued to you and have the rest disburse to the shipper that will come over to your location to pick up your work and have it delivered safely to me at my residential address in Manitoba,Canada.I would inform the shippers about it after have heard from you.They will just come over to your area to pick-up the piece and then have them delivered to me.Before i can proceed to issue to you the cheque i will be needing your contact details and phone number to write and send the cheque to you.The address written below is my address for shipping.
Regards
Brandon
Brandon Domergue
755 Victoria Ave Unit A Brandon,
MB R7A 1A5
Canada
Me too! Exactly the same... Thank you so much for posting this.
ReplyDelete- Georgie
I too have had this email - exactly the same word for word! These people are disgusting time wasters! Always google anyone who wants to purchase work from your website.
ReplyDeletelisa
Hi guys - congratilations then, we found a very generous sponsor - he is buying from me too! :-D
ReplyDelete- here is exactly the same message, and I also got back with a rather generic reply, providing a link where he can actually see my work before purchasing any pictures, the guy got back to me today and said basically that he is buying everythin he saw. :-)
Though I not only had a gut feeling this is a scam, but also received a similar message about a year or two ago - also some "stage name", and also suggesting that someone would come to pick up the pictures, etc. except that that person was "living" in Amsterdam.
"Good Morning,
I am interested in purchasing some of your art work for my self and my budget is between 1000£-2000£ i will like to know if you have works in this category or above.If you do kindly send the images of those ones in this category or website link to the ones in the category.I await to read from you soon.
Regards
Brandon"
This is his reply after he has seen the pictures:
"Dear Mikhail
I must say that i have seen perfection and creativity in your work,it a grand design a lot of work input to get the perfect result.i am about to purchase some of your work because i can vividly see the uniqueness of the pieces,your work also have a pleasant and a suiting feeling, I am so sure it will add sparkles to me. The piece listed below are the one's i will be purchasing.
Bristol Channel
Size Size: 24.00" x 8.00"
Price Price: £100.00
Lighthouse
Size Size: 20.00" x 16.00"
Price Price: £100.00
Magnifying glass Barry Island Beach
Size Size: 24.00" x 8.00"
Price Price: £110.00
September
Size Size: 22.00" x 18.00"
Price Price: £155.00
Magnifying glass Low Tide in Watchtower Bay
Size Size: 28.00" x 13.00"
Price Price: £175.00
St Paul's
Size Size: 22.00" x 18.00"
Price Price: £230.00
Millenium Stadium
Size Size: 18.00" x 14.00"
Price Price: £120.00
Magnifying glass Sunrise BYC
Size Size: 14.00" x 22.00"
Price Price: £155.00
Magnifying glass Barry Island One Sunny Autumn Morning
Size Size: 26.00" x 6.00"
Price Price: £150.00
Payment for those pieces will be made by my associate in London,He will send you a cheque from his bank in London and the money can be withdraw from his account, i will be issuing £2400 to cover the cost of the piece and shipping of your work.I have some Furniture to be picked up from a store in Liverpool,so you will deduct your fee from the payment issued to you and have the rest disburse to the shipper that will come over to your location to pick up your work and have it delivered safely to me at my residential address in Manitoba,Canada.I would inform the shippers about it after have heard from you.They will just come over to your area to pick-up the piece and then have them delivered to me.Before i can proceed to issue to you the cheque i will be needing your contact details and phone number to write and send the cheque to you.The address written below is my address for shipping.
Regards
Brandon
Brandon Domergue
705 Victoria Ave Unit A Brandon,
MB R7A 1A5
Canada"
I think they cash forged cheques through naive individuals who think that they hit the gold. Not hard to see how the events unfold after you agree to their conditions - you cash a cheque, they come and pick up the money (all of it, naturally, because "Brendon" changed his mind :-)) and then you are left with the problem of cashing a false cheque.
Then I decided to google both the name and the address, and this is how I found this blog - thank you for posting this!
Mikhail
Just had an email. I did reply asking where he got my details from. I then put his name into Google and came up with your site. I wasn't daft enough to think anyone would buy my art without even seeing it offering this staggering price, but I was intrigued to know where this came from and what the scam was. Now I know!
ReplyDeleteMe too :-) Thanks for warning.
ReplyDelete.....
Dear Impulsive-ART,
I must say that i have seen perfection and creativity in your work,it a grand design with a lot of work input to get the perfect result.i am about to purchase some of your work
because i can vividly see the uniqueness of the pieces,your work also have a pleasant and a suiting feeling, I am so sure it will add sparkles to me. The piece listed below are the one's i
will be purchasing.
Title: Danach
Painted on: August 2009
Technique: Mixed Technique on Canvas (Acryl, Ink, Pastel)
Size: 80 x 120 cm
Price: 450 €*
Title: Das letzte Konzert
Painted on: July 2009
Technique: Mixed Technique on Canvas (Acryl, Ink, Pastel)
Size: 110 x 90 cm
Price: 400 €*
Title: African
Painted on: September 2009
Technique: Mixed Technique on Canvas (Acryl, Ink, Pastel)
Size: 100 x 50cm
Price: 350 €
Title: No Title
Painted on: März 2010
Technique: Mixed Technique on Canvas (Acryl, Ink, Pastel)
Size: 100 x 50 cm
Price: 350 €*
Title: Und ewig lockt das Weib...
Painted on: November 2009
Technique: Mixed Technique on Canvas (Acryl, Ink, Pastel)
Size: 80 x 100 cm
Price: 350 €*
Payment for those pieces will be made by my associate in your country,He will send you a cheque from his bank and the money can be withdraw from his account because i know it will take a long
time before my cheque clear into your account, so i will instruct him to pay you and i will pay him back.
He will be issuing 3500 € to cover the cost of the piece and shipping of your work and the rest of the fund will be refunded back to me.
I will be needing your contact details and phone number to write and send the cheque to you.The address written below is my address for shipping.
Regards
Simeon
Simeon Ducroux
Freshwater Place North
Apartment 325
1 Queensbridge Square
Melbourne VIC 3000
Australia
today for me the same!!
ReplyDeleteDear Thommy
I must say that i have seen perfection and creativity in your work,it a grand design with a lot of work input to get the perfect result.i am about to purchase some of your workbecause i can vividly see the uniqueness of the pieces,your work also have a pleasant and a suiting feeling, I am so sure it will add sparkles to me. The piece listed below are the one's iwill be purchasing.
Absolute Profúndum 2x60x80 Acryl, Struktur, Leinwand 2000
Entfesselung 60x60 Acryl, Mischtechnik, Wachs, handgefertigter Untergrund 1000
Payment for those pieces will be made by my associate in your country,He will send you a cheque from his bank and the money can be withdraw from his account because i know it will take a longtime before my cheque clear into your account, so i will instruct him to p ay you and i will pay him back.
He will be issuing 3500 € to cover the cost of the piece and shipping of your work and the rest of the fund will be refunded back to me.
I will be needing your contact details and phone number to write and send the cheque to you.The address written below is my address for shipping.
Regards
Simeon
Simeon Ducroux
Freshwater Place North
Apartment 325
1 Queensbridge Square
Melbourne VIC 3000
Australia
Same email. Same offer. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteRuth
I got the same email. Just little changes ... I copy the whole conversation, so people may find it better in the future:
ReplyDeletea)
From: simeon Ducroux
Good Morning
I am interested in purchasing some of Art work for my self and my budget is between 1000€-2000€ i will like to know if you have works in this category or above,If you do kindly send the images of those ones in this category or website link to the ones in the category.I await to read from you soon.
Regards
Simeon
b)
Thanks so much for your swift response i can tell you that i wasn't expecting a response as soon as this but am pleased that you did responded,I was able to check through your work and i will say sincerely that they all are lovely but i will prefer to know more about the following pieces below and their prices.
:-)
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI have got two similar e-mails.
The first about 6 weeks ago.
Addresser: cesarecavallino@yahoo.ca
Cesare Cavallino
"...i will be issuing 5300 €..."!
The second yesterday.
Addresser: simeonducroux@yahoo.com.au
Simeon Ducroux
"...He will be issuing 3500 €..."!
With the same address from Australia like in the mail above.
hi,
ReplyDeleteme too, the same message
Am I glad to see this...I got the same emails :( decided like you all to google the name and came up with this. Thanks so much guys! Was suspicious...it was the "prices of images" that set of the alarms bells in my head...this is the last mail I got:
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased to be reading from you in such a short while i was able to go through the images in your website and the following caught my eye.
Happiness
Armelle & Kenny's Wedding Favours
Set of Four Inspirational Quotations
Can you kindly send me the prices of all the images above
Thanks
19.08.2013:
ReplyDeleteI must say that i have seen perfection and creativity in your work,it a grand design with a lot of work input to get the perfect result.i am about to purchase some of your work because i can vividly see the uniqueness of the pieces,your work also have a pleasant and a suiting feeling, I am so sure it will add sparkles to me. The piece listed below are the one's i
will be purchasing.
Verlorene Träume
Tempera Grassa - Öl auf Holz und Maltuch
30 x 40cm 2009
Preis: 2.400,-- Euro
Payment for those pieces will be made by my associate in your country,He will send you a cheque from his bank and the money can be withdraw from his account because i know it will take a longtime before my cheque clear into your account, so i will instruct him to pay you and i will pay him back.
He will be issuing 4500 € to cover the cost of the piece and shipping of your work and the rest of the fund will be refunded back to me.
I will be needing your contact details and phone number to write and send the cheque to you.The address written below is my address for shipping.
Regards
Simeon
Simeon Ducroux
Freshwater Place North
Apartment 325
1 Queensbridge Square
Melbourne VIC 3000
Same Message arrived me today (first 3 weeks ago)
ReplyDeletethanks for posting this...i did send him all this posts back with a short message which i can not post here ;)
greets
Same case here. The content of my mail today was:
ReplyDelete"Dear Ronald
I must say that i have seen perfection and creativity in your work,it a grand design with a lot of work input to get the perfect result.i am about to purchase some of your work because i can vividly see the uniqueness of the pieces,your work also have a pleasant and a suiting feeling, I am so sure it will add sparkles to me. The piece listed below are the one's i will be purchasing.
Hildegard
2012
80 x 60 cm
520 €
Anja
2010
80 x 60 cm
520 €
Regina
2012
80 x 60 cm
520 €
Thilo
2011
80 x 60 cm
520 €
Payment for those pieces will be made by my associate in your country,He will send you a cheque from his bank and the money can be withdraw from his account because i know it will take a longtime before my cheque clear into your account, so i will instruct him to pay you and i will pay him back.
He will be issuing 4000 € to cover the cost of the piece and shipping of your work and the rest of the fund will be refunded back to me.
I will be needing your contact details and phone number to write and send the cheque to you.The address written below is my address for shipping.
Regards
Simeon
Simeon Ducroux
115 Collins Street,
Melbourne,
Vic 3000
Australia"
hi there,
ReplyDeletei´ve got the same message.
Now I´ve got the cheque, can anybody tell what to do?
regards
Claudia
Rip the check up and ignore any further emails. The check is counterfeit. And by all means, do NOT wire anyone money for any reason. Their money is no good.
ReplyDeleteAnd no need to tell them you know, let them waste their time thinking they still have a potential victim. It's time they are not spending on another person who may not know better.
I've got the same message from
ReplyDeleteSimeon Ducroux
115 Collins Street,
Melbourne,
Vic 3000
Australia
Thanks for posting this guys, saves me a lot of time!
Sebastian
thanks for this I thought it might be a scam, now I know for sure that it is.
ReplyDeleteregards Dean
scam email below
Good Evening,
I am interested in purchasing some of your
art work for my
self and my budget is between 1000$-3000$ i will like to
know if you have works
in this category or above.If you do kindly send the images
of those ones in this
category or website link to the ones in the category.I await
to read from you
soon.
Regards
Doug
This one fooled me too. But when I tried to find the man in Canada he didn´t exist in any analog form. No response when I wanted him to pay in advance 25 % at Paypal. His name Kelvin McCabe .
ReplyDeleteWe won´t get fooled again!
Thanks for the info I nearly got cought there from this kelvin, till I wote and said that I only accept cash our Paypal, since then I havent hurd a word from him.
ReplyDelete"If it seems too good to be true, it probably is"
ReplyDeleteSorry "Kelvin"