Scam Email: Andreas Michae

Here is another lazy scam email that arrived just this morning. They didn't even bother to personalize the email for the victim.

From:  Mr. Andreas Michae [andreas.stores777@gmail.com]
Subject: Order Enquiry.....

Hello,

Am Mr. Andreas Michael, an American live and work here in CYPRUS. I will like to place an order for some items from you, but I will like to know what you have available in stock . Let me have your website address so I can view the products you have presently in stock and if there is any special pricing I need to know about.

Do you ship to Cyprus ?
Do You accept Credit card ?

In order to avoid any form of delays can you let me know the type of credit cards you accept? I hope to hear from you as soon as possible so we can proceed with the Order .


SHIPPING ADDRESS:

STORES CENTRAL OF CYPRUS
P. O. Box 56150
CY - 3304 Lemeso
CYPRUS

Regards.
Mr. Andreas Michael

Scam Email: Serena Wilcox II

It looks like this scammer found a pocket of potters to target, just had another report from a potter yesterday. What is so completely funny about this one is that the scammer apparently lost their place of where they were in the scam process and in the third email exchange, kind of started over as if they had a complete memory loss (which of course then tipped off the artist that something was not right). It can happen to a scammer that is sending out hundreds of thousands of these. Sometimes their little pea brains are going to get all confused....

First email from scammer:

From: serena wilcox [serenawilcox0147@live.com]
Subject: ORDER ENQUIRY!

Hello,
 I want to place an order in your store,and i will like to know if you ship to Australia and my method of payment will be credit card. So please let me know if you can assist me with the order ,And please do not forget to include your web page in your replying back to my mail.I will await your prompt response as soon as you receive this mail
Serena.

Second email:

 From: serena wilcox [serenawilcox0147@live.com]
Subject: Re: Quote Needed!

Hello,
Here is my order :

pitcher Wood fired salt glazed stoneware

QTY:1

salt glazed stoneware coffee server and cups
QTY:1

Stoneware Coffee Server with Cobalt Shino and Natural Ash Salt Glaze
QTY:1

Large Wood fired stoneware vase
QTY:1

stoneware Teapot Salt Glaze
QTY:1
.
Please get back to me with the total cost estimate for this order so that i can make my payment via my USA issued credit card. I am an American but I live and work here in Australia and I want these products here.
Do not worry about the shipping , I will make arrangement for the pick up of these items from your place thru my shipping agency.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW THE GRAND TOTAL WEIGHT OF THESE ITEMS FOR SHIPPING REASON.
Serena.

Third email, scammer has complete memory loss:

From: Serena Wilcox [serenawilcox0147@live.com]
Subject: RE: Quote Needed!

 Hello
       Thanks for the mail, can you email me with list of titles you have in stock for the selected artist so i can make my choice and get back to you with the list of choosen work.

Thanks with regards

Serena.

Scam Email: Susan Shors

Hi Kathleen,

Thanks so much for your Scam Blog.

I didn't know how to post this, so hope it is ok to just send via email. Thank goodness I finally googled the Belarus address and found you!

Glad to stop wasting time on this. I never gave them our website, but they found it anyway.

I got suspicious as the English got better as the emails kept coming! When I said they had to telephone me, they never replied.

What I wonder is what they would have gotten out of the deal, as the artwork isn't that valuable, and of course I wouldn't have sent it without full payment. Smuggling?  Access to my computer?  dunno.

Anyway, here it is.

Post if you think it might be helpful.

(We DID get an email about a year ago and successfully shipped two large pieces to Oman! I opened a separate bank account, they wire the money and we shipped the pots!)

Thanks so much,

Carol

First Email from Scammer:

From: "Susan Shors" [susan.shors@yahoo.com]
Subject: Art Purchase

 Hello,
I and my Cousin have interest in purchasing some piece of Art from your gallery hence i will like to know if you sell internationally (Belarus) and also if you accept (Credit Card) as a method of payment,if you do i want you to get back to me with your updated webpage, so that i can make choice of the Art to purchase from your gallery. Your response is needed so that we can proceed. I await your response.
Thanks
Susan

Second Email:

From: Susan Shors [mailto:susan.shors@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 12:32 PM
Subject: Re: Art Purchase

 Hi Mark,
Good to hear from ylou,you id not answer my email if you accept credit card as a method of payment. You can get back to me with the new pottery

I will be looking forward to hearing from you asap.

Thanks

Susan

Third Email:

From: Susan Shors [mailto:susan.shors@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 3:32 PM
Subject: RE: Art Purchase

 Hi Carol,

Good to hear from you and how are you doing today,your family and business?
below are the ones i am willing to purchase:

Salt-Glazed Two Gallon Jar
Brown with blue glass runs and ash glaze neck and lid.
16" H x 11" W x 11" D
$450
============================================================================
Three Gallon Vase
Pale ash glaze with starburst decoration and blue glass runs.
18" H x 12" W x 12" D
$575
============================================================================
Gallon Pitcher
Yellow ash glaze with manganese slip dots and blue glass runs.
11.5" H x 9" W x 9" D
$225
============================================================================

therefore i want you to get them packed.On the shipping,one will have to pay additional fee at the delivery point here in Belarus because they will never bring to ones house. courier like Fedex UPS are not worth it here especially USPS all of them are not rendering good service here probably because they already known very well. You can contact this courier service Shore Express Courier Service (shorexpress@rocketship.com [http://us.mc1202.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=shorexpress@rocketship.com] ) as well with the weight and cost of the artwork for the shipping and insurance to my address because they ship and deliver safely without one paying any other money before collecting the goods unlike some other courier where it will not be delivered to your address rather you will have to go to their office to pick it up and when you get there you will be told to pay other money before collecting it. I will be looking forward to hearing from you asap.
Thanks
Shipping Address

Susan Shors
13F, Skoryna ave.
Minsk, Belarus

Artist Experience: Tricia Allen Scam Email VI

Here is an artist who just wrote in to tell me he had just received the Tricia Allen email. This one seems very widespread. Reports have been coming in from all over.

Kathleen, I just found this online, as I received an email from Tricia Allen or whoever this person is.  Thanks for taking the time to create something like this.  Please add me to your email list.

Paul

Scam Email: Serena Wilcox

Here is a scam email just received this morning (and forwarded to me) from an artist who has a studio right next to me in the ICB Building in Sausalito, CA. She was knowledgeable enough to know immediately it was a scam.

I put this one under the category of super lazy scammer, who didn't even bother to personalize anything or find out what this person they are emailing might even be selling. Lazy!

[poor formatting below is intentional as that is how they send these emails. It always amazes me how they never clean up their formatting and spelling errors. But it certainly helps us identify them as scams!]
 

From: serena wilcox [serenawilcox0147@live.com]
Subject: ORDER ENQUIRY!
Reply-To: serenawilcox0147@live.com

Hello,
I want to place an order in your store,and i will like to know if you ship to Australia and my method of payment will be credit card. So please let me know if you can assist me with the order ,And please do not forget to include your web page in your replying back to my mail.I will await your prompt response as soon as you receive this mail
Serena.

Scam Email: Smith Leonard

A name we've not listed here before, but the email is the same ole same ole...

From: Smith Leonard [smithleonard1900@gmail.com]
Subject: Calm River 6x8 oil on canvas and Autumn 8x10 pastel

Dear Seller,

Good greetings to you, i am happy to see your artwork interesting to me and am willing to buy them from you.

Please Kindly tell me if the selected artworks are still for sale and it's present condition.

Looking forward to read soon from you and i remain

Best Regards
Mr. Smith

Scam Email: John Bathgate

Here is another from the faked name of John Bathgate:

From: John Bathgate [iluv2luvuu@gmail.com]
Subject: "Thanksgiving" - 2008 pastel

Hello,

Good day to you over there, My name is John Bathgate I'm from Seattle  and i hope this message finds you well.I was going through your works and my eyes caught...., i will like to have it for my new apartment this month. please let me know if the piece is available, if yes let me have the detailed price and more information about it. i will be waiting to read from you.

John.

I'm noticing lately their "template" for these emails often have a period after their signature name at the end. Not sure why, but its another clue to add to other clues.

Artist Experience: Dennis Matt Scam Email II

Here is an email from an artist who trusted her instincts when the email didn't seem right and googled the name - fortunately this blog came up to offer her confirmation of her suspicions.

Another artist saved!

Hi Kathleen,

Thank you so much for your informative website to "Stop Artist Scams. Today I received a very crudely written email from Dennis Matt, inquiring about the purchase of one of my paintings. I "smelled a rat", so to speak!! Trusting my intuition, I Googled Dennis Matt and stumbled upon your website.  Needless to say, I am extremely grateful to you for your care and concern for fellow artists!

The E-mail address on the message is:  Dennis Matt [academicss00@gmail.com] for your growing list of offenders.

Keep up the good work, Kathleen!

Warmest Regards,

Peggy

Scam Email: Dale Adams

Here is another example of how the first email sent by a scammer is now relatively brief - to try and get you to reply, and then the second email will reveal more clues that it is a scam.

First, here is the comment from the artist who received this scam email and forwarded it to me to post:

Hi Kathleen,

I just put my work up on Nevada Artists Association website last week and already have been approached by a ?scammer?  I'm pasting his emails in this message.  Luckily Nevada Artists have a "scam alert"  so I'm grateful that I haven't spent more time on this.  Thank you, Nancy

Now here is the scammer's actual first email (bad formatting is as it was sent):

From: Dale Adams [dreallorry@gmail.com]
Subject: Subject: Ancestors of the Crane 16 x 20 Mixed Media

Hello there,

My name is Dale Adams and am from Indiana. Was going through your works and love this piece.
What's your final price for it and am really interested in purchasing the piece.

Thanks and i await your response.

Dale.

And here is his second email after the artist replied to the first email (she provided more information about how the piece was mounted, the framing and the shipping, and all the costs):

From: Dale Adams [dreallorry@gmail.com]
Subject: Re: Ancestors of the Crane 16 x 20 Mixed Media

Hello,

Thanks for your prompt reply.I really appreciate your detailed breakdown and frankness on this.

Im on my way to India on an official trip(I'm a marketing Executive) and wont be back for another two weeks, I would have come to inspect the piece personally. Im taking your word for true on It though .

Im okay with the price, I think it worth it anyway. If you'd like to know, Im relocating to the UK soon and I'm trying to gather some good stuff for my new abode. Im buying yours amongst others,quickly! before someone else grabs it.So, I'll arrange to send you payment ASAP.
However, I'll have to notify my shipper who's helping me move my stuff from the US,to get set for the pickup of the piece from your place as I MIGHT be delayed in India depending on how things goes.
Thanks,

PS: In the mean time, kindly get back to me with your contact address and also your phone# so I can get certified check prepared and have it sent out to you ASAP.
 

Artist Experience: Dennis Matt Scam Email

Here is basically just a repeat of the Dennis Morgan scam email, with the scammer using a different name and disposable email address. The artist who forwarded this to me sent the full email headers but there was no surprise in looking for the originating IP number in the headers, as the email came from a google mail server because the scammer used gmail.

Kathleen:

I got this email yesterday from a "Dennis Matt," email address of academicss00@gmail.com, which is awfully similar to one listed on your page as Dennis Morgan, phisiology00@gmail.com.   I quoted the listed price of the artwork he was interested in, including sales tax plus shipping.  I also let him know that his poor grammar and "urgency" in purchasing spells "scammer" to me, and that he would have to prove his legitimacy to me before I would do business with him.  Hope this info. helps you and others,

Laurie


Message-ID:
Subject: "Haleakala: Eye of Dawn" (15 1/2" x 33 1/2") Float-mounted and Framed $400
From: Dennis Matt [academicss00@gmail.com]

Hello,

Good day to you over there, My name is Dennis Matt i'm from California and i hope this message finds you well.I was going through your works and my eyes caught this particular piece,i will like to have it for my new apartment this month. please let me know if the piece is available, if yes let me have the detailed price and more information about it. i will be waiting to read from you asap.

Scam Email: Richard Gallacher

Here is a scam email that arrived this morning from one of those lazier scammers who didn't even bother to personalize the email. It has so little information that sometimes people reply asking for more information and that gets them hooked into the next step in the scam. But notice how he actually asks for the website address so if they DO reply, he'll have more information to personalize his next email. Silly!

From: Richard Gallacher [gallacher.richard@live.com]
Subject: Order

Hello there,
  My name is Richard Gallacher and i live in the United Kingdom. I am writing to inquire about some of your products which i am highly interested in buying. I would like to know if you can sell to me and i shall be paying with my credit card. In you response,kindly include your website address so that i may look further to see if i can get more interesting things that i can buy.
Richard
Thanks

Artist Experience: Tricia Allen Scam Email V

Kathleen - it seems Tricia Allen is alive and well.  Thanks for your blog posts about this scam!

All best, Martha

From: Tricia Allen [tallencourt@gmail.com]
Subject: artworks purchase

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.....................

Black Diamond,Salt Mist,Meridiem,Lupine Brocade,Mettawee Valley,Island Dunes and Twin Spruces II

Let me know their various prices.and how much discounts are you going to give?I will be happy to have these selected artworks hanged 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,
Tricia Allen

Coast Art Dealer Admits Running Ponzi Scheme

Here is a different side of an art scam - one to bilk art collectors out of money rather than the artists. I feel terrible for the art collectors who thought they were buying art and the way these scams chip away at buyer's confidence.

This appeared in Portland's Register Guard newspaper:

PORTLAND — A gallery owner accused of devising an art-themed Ponzi scheme pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

Donald D. Seybold, 37, who owned galleries in Cannon Beach and Seaside before his arrest, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 22 in Portland. Prosecutors estimate that he defrauded about 200 people out of more than $3 million.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Horsley said Seybold defrauded customers and investors by promising to buy art for them and then sell it for a profit. Seybold admitted that he used the money he received from later investors to pay earlier investors in a Ponzi scheme.

Most of the 200 victims came from the West and Midwest, with a few on the East Coast. Some had come to Cannon Beach for a vacation and learned of Seybold’s offer. Others learned about it through family and friends.

The one count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and $250,000, but a plea deal reached before the hearing could reduce that sentence. The sentence will consider how many victims Seybold defrauded and their financial loss.

“We have yet to fully unravel that,” she said.

The FBI learned of Seybold after he confessed his wrongdoing in an e-mail to his investors and customers. Although Horsley said she didn’t know what precipitated the e-mail, “It was becoming clear to him that his whole house of cards was about to collapse,” she said.

The FBI arrested Seybold on May 14, 2009, after a federal grand jury indicted him on nine counts of wire fraud.

The FBI initially said Seybold defrauded 100 victims who suffered $3.2 million in losses. The number of victims doubled after the FBI published a phone number for victims to call, so the total loss may be greater.

Horsley said she didn’t know what Seybold might have done with the money that he collected from those who invested in his business and from customers who bought nonexistent artwork.

“A lot of people who invested in this art never saw it,” she said. “We use the term ‘ghost art.’ ”

One victim, Rick Ashton of Olympia, estimated he lost more than $100,000. Relatives and friends also lost money, he said.

“I thought he was a friend,” Ashton said. “I met him when he bought the gallery. I trusted him. I went to his wedding. I went to his house.”

Artist Experience: Barbara Santos Scam Email II

Hello Kathleen

I am Yvon and I received last days, the same emails as many artists, from "Barbara Santos"..

It's frequent I receive this kind of  "spoilt gangster's litterature", but this one felt true and good manners !!!!

I let a message on the blog "barbara santos scam", but not sure I did the good manipulations. Not very cleaver with machines.

I keep email of this person, so, if you need a temoignage, I shall be there.

Friendly.

Yvon

Scam Email: Sheila Fiske

Hi Kathleen,

I've been contacted by one of these art purchase scammers and as I was suspicious I googled the entire body of the email message. Found your blog with the exact text only that they have used a new name and email address.

Here is the info:

name: Sheila Fiske
email: sheila.fiske@yahoo.com
subject: Art Purchase

message:
Hello,
I and my Cousin have interest in purchasing some piece of Art from your gallery hence i will like to know if you sell internationally (Belarus) and also if you accept (Credit Card) as a method of payment,if you do i want you to get back to me with your updated webpage, so that i can make choice of the Art to purchase from your gallery.
Your response is needed so that we can proceed.
I await your response.
Thanks
Sheila

Thanks for setting up this blog, what a great help !!!!

Wish you all the best,

Claude