Hi Guys

I've a had a few e-mails over the last week form e-mail adresses around the world, germany and south africa to be exact.

They are very short queries, do you have a price list, do you make this item how much is it?

The problem is that with all of the hoax e-mails going round i dont want to waste too much time going through the e-mail consultation to get the i'll send you £1000 you send £500 to my mate who will take it over,

But at the same time I dont't want to scare off somone who could simply be getting married in the local castle and genuinley looking for cupcakes.

Is there an easy way to weed out the real orders from the scams? I won't be wasting any money I'm savvy enough not to fall for it, but My time is also money, and that I would like to save on.

Thanks

Just email back if you're really not sure, and tell them that you need payment in cash only, in advance, since it's an out-of-country order. They'll either not write back, or they will but it will be another form scam letter that won't have anything to do with what you said.

Not necessarily......I was skeptical at one I received a couple of months ago - she even said she wanted to order 2 pounds of cake. I emailed her back (and it took several emails to understand what she wanted!) It ended up she was in India - her boyfriend attends Ohio Wesleyan University here in our town, and she wanted him to have a nice cake for his birthday. She was so thankful when it was all done and over and the cake had been delivered!

Just don't "jump in" - be cautious, and if your gut tells you it is a scam, beleive it.

Every one of these I've received has been a scam. I would be very careful. I was lucky, and did not fall for this... I'd be very surprised if this was legitamate. If you're still not sure...do some online investigating. I found mine were almost exactly word for word with other cake scams.

Good luck. ....I'm licensed by the way...

One thing I did for the order was to call the college and confirm there was a student there by the name she gave me. This was not a wedding cake order either, it was a birthday cake.

I reply to them that payment is only acceptable via paypal and that ends them fast!

That is what I did too....paypal.

If the email reads like it was processed thru a language translation program, it's a hoax.
If the email wants you to make a six tier cake with a message of any kind on it, it's a hoax.
If it involves a shipper picking up the cake and you should not be worried, it's a hoax.
If the language is formal/stilted/not how English really sounds, it's a hoax.
If they offer to pay you the cake price, plus the shipping price, plus "some extra for your trouble", it's a hoax.

If it asks, "How much is a wedding cake?" that's legit. Dumb, but legit.

Made me laugh, Leah.