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Sunday, May 4, 2014

Scam Email: Corbett Bonilla

Below is an example of how scammers are using skype. Skype doesn't make them any more legitimate. In fact, you will discover scammers always some some made-up reason for why their camera on skype is NOT working but okay to text back and forth - keeping them anonymous and as slimey shadey as hiding behind disposable email address and fake names.

Do not use skype to sell things. It's usually scammers.

Email message attached from "Corbett Bonilla"
Dear Bill,

I have received your email and the information concerning the cost and
the method of payment that you choose.

Concerning the shipping and delivery I will handle the delivery and
pay the delivery fees by adding it on the same Cashier's Cheque which
am going to issue.

My concern about appointing a good secure shipping company for the
delivery is because I want the delivery to be save to my destination
here in Glasgow England without any damages or lost of art which has
already happen in the past by using FedEx and UPS.

We will need to discuss the sending of the cheque directly to you for
the payment of the painting in order for the pickup to take place. We
need to appoint a time and date for Skype communication. My Skype id
is corbettbonilla add me on your Skype list or send me your Skype id
and I will add you.

Please email me back with the below information for the Cashier's
Cheque to be issue..

Name on Check:
Full Address:
Phone Number:

If you don't have Skype id kindly go to www.skype.com and register
with them and download Skype. I will be available on Skype tonight
night from 8:30 pm England time.

Note: I will handle and appoint a good secure shipping company that
will come for the pickup and the shipping fees will be added.

Best Regards
Corbett Bonilla

26 comments:

  1. Kathleen,

    I have noticed the same name on your list of fake buyers that you have just entered beginning of this month and it is the same name the person that is trying to buy a painting from me. He says he is from Netherlands and we had an attempt to have a conversation on Skype. I was always careful because I noticed he only looked at one painting on my site. I have not told him yet and I am about to receive the fake check and will have to let him know to stop the next time we talk. The name he is using is Corbett Bonilla. I found the info on your site and thank you. Feel free to call and talk more about what happened I did leave a message but thought I would email this info too!

    Thanks,
    Mark

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi I am an artist and just received a letter from Corbett Bonilla, and I am just writing to thank you for the scam warning!!
    sincerely,
    Aviva

    ReplyDelete
  3. He almost scammed me - He talks about the art and then has all kinds of reasons that he has to have it sent through his special courier. He sends a cashier's check, which I had two people look at at my bank - then talks about how you need to send the shipping via Western Union. Luckily, I was able to stop the Western Union payment an hour before it was supposed to go through. Watch out for him!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Kathleen,

    Thanks for your recent post regarding an art scam by someone under the name Corbett Bonilla. In april he reached out to me to collect a painting and
    I'm currently in the final stages of shipping him a painting. He sent a
    cashiers check which I have already deposited (a significant sum for
    shipping) and it went through into my account. I want to know exactly how
    this is a scam before I move to shipping the painting. Since I already
    have money in my account, I'm unsure. Please respond ASAP if you can...was going to ship out tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Do NOT ship that painting and yes yes yes, it is a scam. Hopefully you didn't forward any cash to him via Western Union.

    The money is fraudulent. It will be rejected by your bank. The scammer is not after your art - he's after the cash amount you forward to his non-existent shipper (it's just him at the other end of Western Union).

    Stop ALL communication with him and hang on to your painting.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was scammed by him. Does anyone know how I can find him?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Scammers are really good at NOT being found. But if you lost actual money in a scam, do report it to ic3.org. They probably won't find this particular scammer either but they look for trends and go after scammer"gangs".

    ReplyDelete
  8. My response to "David"

    David, No one from Texas talks like that.
    Try harder next time, or, just stop, you only hurt people.
    Take care,
    M.

    P.s. Life is short. Money means nothing. Discover what makes YOUR existence meaningful and try to do that. Add something so that your children (even metaphorically) know there is something that CAN be added and they, hopefully, will do the same. Survival is not easy a lot of the time. Believe me, finding yourself is a struggle, having the courage to try to support your family by doing what you can to add to human experience is so much harder. But we are all here for such a short time. And we all have such unique gifts to give. Discovering those gifts and how they benefit others is true life. True living. I hope you seek within yourself meaning beyond money, something that will be passed down for generations and make small changes to make this cruel, self centered place a bit more tolerable for those that come after us. Good Luck, be passionate, and always be creating.

    ReplyDelete
  9. he is now going by ervin stromberg

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  10. i just had this from 'Ervin Stromberg' also

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  11. Yep, Ervin Stromberg is his latest handle.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I just got one from Ervin Stromberg as well. Poorly worded English inquiring about two paintings from my web site----

    Good Morning Nat,

    How is everything going on with you over there! Please do you still
    have this your beautiful below work available for purchase? find the
    work am talking about below..

    [name of pieces here]

    If the work is still available for purchase please email me more
    details about it, the price and the availability.


    Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I did too, this morning, from Ervin Stromberg, same exact wording as anonymous above.

    Good Morning (my name),

    How is everything going on with you over there! Please do you still
    have this your beautiful below work available for purchase? find the
    work am talking about below..

    (I omitted the titles for anonymity)

    If the work is still available for purchase please email me more
    details about it, the price and the availability.


    Cheers.

    Ervin

    ReplyDelete
  14. Here is the IP address of Ervin Stromberg:
    41.138.173.143
    Country:
    NG

    ReplyDelete
  15. I too got an Ervim Stromberg email about my art. I wondered why anyone would do this -easier to just get a job, seems to me- but never got far enough to be hit up for delivery. Thanks for your public service.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Just had an email from Ervim Stomberg. Thought it was probably a scam but needed to check. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Just hear from Erin too Ervin Stromberg

    8:41 AM (2 hours ago)

    to faith
    Good Day Faith,

    How is everything going on with you over there! Please do you still
    have this your beautiful below work available for purchase? find the
    work am talking about below..

    [name of pieces]

    If the work is still available for purchase please email me more
    details about it, the price and the availability.

    Have a wonderful Sunday


    Cheers.



    11:08 AM (0 minutes ago)

    Hi Ervin,

    You've been a busy scammer.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks, KatieMoe, for warning us about this scam. I too heard from Ervin this morning. I always Google online buyers out of curiosity - but this was a shock to find out the guy's a fraud.

    ReplyDelete
  19. thank you with all my heart!


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  20. Yep we received the Ervin one today. Was so good to look up the name and find this blog....

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  21. Thank you all for sharing this information. I just received this email from Ervin Stromberg also. I make a habit of googling the name of a potential buyer first before replying and am thankful for this.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Huge thanks everyone! He almost got me!

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  23. here is another scam artist , he followed every point in your blog ,,,,,,AMAZING .......I strung him along for a while , just to see how far he would go.

    scammer....tarletonstromberg@gmail.com

    I will forward the e-mail under separate e-mail since I don’t know how to attach it ....

    thanks for the good work ................C2

    ReplyDelete
  24. Definitely a scam.

    They always have some story why they are using their own shipper (justifies why they want to over pay and have YOU *wire* that money to the shipper - who doesn't exist and is just the scammer themselves at the other end of that wire, disappearing with your untraceable cash) and they are trying to leverage the rush of the holidays to see if they can snag more victims.

    1. Never accept an over-payment when selling online. Insist on shipping it yourself.

    2. Never ever ever EVER wire money to anyone when selling online. No matter what their story of inconvenience is. Real buyers will not insist upon this.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I live in Scotland, and anyone saying Glasgow, England would tick me off right out of the gate.

    ReplyDelete