Scam Alert For Bakeries!!!

Lounge By Scribbletime Updated 16 Nov 2012 , 5:18am by shanter

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Scribbletime Posted 23 Sep 2012 , 10:55pm
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Remember this story in case you get a an odd ordering situation:

We got an email order from an out of area wedding planner who needed a last minute cake because of a problem with his regular vendor. We took the order and everything seemed a little odd but still believable, until the payment discussion. He wanted to pay via credit card, but asked if he could also include the payment to the delivery company so we could just pay the company "in cash" directly when they came to pick up the cake. Delivery was more than $900.

Our red flags were seriously up at that point so we contacted the FBI. Thankfully we didn't actually spend time on the cake, only discussing and confirming the order. Listen to your gut!!

15 replies
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Diana81 Posted 24 Sep 2012 , 1:05am
post #2 of 16

Smh, wow. Thanks for the warning.

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kelleym Posted 24 Sep 2012 , 2:24am
post #3 of 16

This is extremely common, so much so that I wrote an article about it.

The Cake Scam

I received a scam email on Friday night, sent to an email address for a web page I run that does not even sell anything. So since it was Friday and I had some down time, I broke my own rule and had a wee bit of fun. Enjoy.

-----Original Message-----
From: Pat Aaron <aaronpat76 at gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2012 5:34 PM
To: info at texascottagefoodlaw.com
Subject: Cupcakes Order

Hello
This is Pat Aaron .i have a birthday party and so do you have
cupcakes also do you accept credit card so if you have cupcakes in
chocolate flavor butter cream icing i will be needing this information
How much will 500 cupcakes regular size rose design will cost me ......
your address for the private carrier coming for the pickup .............
and actually, i don't have access to website because am not really
good on computers i only bought the computer to for sending out mails
and receiving mails only so i will be waiting for the reply.
so get to me with the following information below......
Pickup Address:
Total cost for the order:
Personal cell #:
Thanks
Pat.

----------------------
My response:

Hello! What date do you need the cupcakes for? I charge $9.50 per cupcake so the total would be $4,750. Please let me know if this fits your budget!

Notice that I inflated the price to such a ridiculous amount that no one in their right mind would pay it.

Their response:


-----Original Message-----
From: Pat Aaron
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2012 6:08 PM
To: Kelley Masters
Subject: Re: Cupcakes Order

Thanks for the reply the party the pickup date is 5th of October time
is by 3pm and due to my hearing problem, am about to finish my ear
surgery my doctor told
me not to use phone for now so you can only contact me via email
address or text me also on my number 937) 280-5XXX so get me with the
total cost now for Small size in chocolate flavor also i want it for
150 people not 500.So i can pay you my credit card now through your
cell phone so i can text you.which
am ready to pay for the full payment with my credit card get back to
me with the total
cost plus tax.
Thanks

Two things: 1) "my doctor told me not to use the phone?" LMAO. 2) The limit on their stolen credit card is probably not high enough for the $4750 I quoted, so instead of questioning my ludicrous price, they mysteriously suddenly only want 150 cupcakes.

My response:

Ok that is great! I love Fall birthdays. Where are you having your party? Reducing your servings from 500 to 150 is quite a leap. Are you sure that everyone will get a cupcake if there are only 150? I would hate for anyone to be hungry, and then they would blame me for not making enough cupcakes!

I'm so sorry to hear about your surgery! I've never heard of a doctor telling someone not to use the phone, but medical science is wonderful these days, so I'm sure he's right!

Can you come into my shop to give me your credit card? I got scammed really badly once on an online order and lost a lot of money, so my parole officer told me I need to always accept the card in person. My address is 911 Quest Parkway, Cedar Park.

Thanks!

The address is the local police station.

I never heard back, because now he knows I'm not going to take his credit card by text the way he wants me to.


Don't get scammed. Trust your gut.

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Diana81 Posted 24 Sep 2012 , 2:35am
post #4 of 16

LOL!!!! Yeah, I got a scam email last week. Asked for all my personal info and all. Fantastic people out there.

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kelleym Posted 24 Sep 2012 , 2:45am
post #5 of 16

Because I have so many public email addresses, I get probably 10 scam emails a day. I can usually spot them just by the subject line.

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Diana81 Posted 24 Sep 2012 , 3:00am
post #6 of 16

WOW!

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Diana81 Posted 24 Sep 2012 , 3:04am
post #7 of 16

I just realized you gave the article to read. I'm going to check it out, thanks for sharing it!

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Godot Posted 24 Sep 2012 , 5:16am
post #8 of 16

$9.50 a cupcake! That's priceless!

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JoesRight Posted 15 Oct 2012 , 4:24pm
post #9 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by kelleym

Because I have so many public email addresses, I get probably 10 scam emails a day. I can usually spot them just by the subject line.




lol icon_lol.gif

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Cathrine123 Posted 14 Nov 2012 , 11:50am
post #10 of 16

I don't understand why people want to email and scam people, do they get a thrill of getting people to make cakes to only realize that it was a scam and trying to ruin someones business or wanting a free cake?!?!?. I can't begin to rationalize why someone would think this would be fun! icon_sad.gifthumbsdown.gif
 

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Annabakescakes Posted 14 Nov 2012 , 2:18pm
post #11 of 16

A

Original message sent by Cathrine123

I don't understand why people want to email and scam people, do they get a thrill of getting people to make cakes to only realize that it was a scam and trying to ruin someones business or wanting a free cake?!?!?. I can't begin to rationalize why someone would think this would be fun! :( :-t

 

That's just the thing, I don't think they are trying to ruin someone's business. I don't think they think about anyone but themselves and their own selfishness, or maybe it it stud only way, in their tiny little socialist countries. There is such a "me, me, MINE" culture, where so many are on the take, from parents, government and social programs. We do better for our kids than our parents did for us, and so many of them are unthankful, and "entitled" acting. They think they deserve it! People don't understand the hard work that goes into a product, they just want it, or the money. If they can't have it, then they lie and scam. Over 47% or people in America don't pay taxes, and most of them get tax "credits" it doesn't occur to the vast majority of them that nothing is free and that taxpayers pay for the food and medical and utilities. All they care about is their hand out.

There is a proliferation of medical scammers too. I read about 3 in one week! They see the little girl with cancer on the jar, or at the benifits show, and want all the free stuff and donations, "cash and prizes". It doesn't even occur to them how awful the situation is, and the suffering, and the high medical bills. They fake cancer or tell their own child they have it, and reap the "reward". I think there is a special place in hell for a person who will tell a child they have cancer, to scam people.

I don't mean to generalize, I know for a fact that there are many people who need it, to better themselves, but it was supposed to be temporary, and so many people are living on it. It's the original "lifestyle choice". I was once on WIC, and foodstamps, in government subsidized housing, with daycare subsidies. I worked, went to school, and bettered myself. Now we own our own home, pay for our own food, and I am able to be with my my kids when they are not at school. That used to be the American dream. The new American dream is what my friend I still have who lives in the subsidized housing. She had her first baby at 18, and she and her husband moved in there while pregnant. They had another kid and moved up to the 3 bedroom housing, and now their oldest is 19, and they have lived there for 20 years. They have two teenage girls still, but they don't know what they'll do when it comes to move out with their last kid, in 4 years. And these are people who have had jobs using their kids social security numbers to hide the income!!! Currently, they are both working under the table, and reporting no income! They get more groceries from my tax dollars than I can afford for myself.

But then, most of these email scammers use stolen computers and free Internet and it is their only chance of bettering themselves, because they live in third world countries under socialist despot regimes. They are expected to work for free, for the comman good, and they live in poverty. They have free food, but it's moldy, and sparse, free medical, but you have to be on a waiting list for several months, and people die waiting to be cared for. They have shanties and no plumbing and heating. There are social classes you are born into and there no hope of work and bettering yourself. The regimes take the American money they are sent in aid, and life like kings.

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jason_kraft Posted 14 Nov 2012 , 4:22pm
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A

Original message sent by Cathrine123

I don't understand why people want to email and scam people

They run these scams to make money, and they continue doing so because the cost is virtually zero so it only takes one person to fall for the scam to turn a profit.

Most of these scams originate from capitalist countries outside the US (such as Ukraine and Romania), so they have nothing to do with US tax/welfare policy or socialism.

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MMueller Posted 15 Nov 2012 , 2:42am
post #13 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by jason_kraft 


They run these scams to make money, and they continue doing so because the cost is virtually zero so it only takes one person to fall for the scam to turn a profit.
Most of these scams originate from capitalist countries outside the US (such as Ukraine and Romania), so they have nothing to do with US tax/welfare policy or socialism.


That's absolutely correct. Thank you for stating the truth of the matter.

 

As for "why" they do it, they do it because it's a crime of opportunity and a very easy one at that. When it comes to capitalist greed, stopping to consider how ones actions will affect others is never part of the equation. It's all about making as much money as possible as quickly as possible regardless of how that money is made.

 

I was always taught that "Not all money is good money" but sadly, not everyone learned that lesson in life so you have people who will gladly snatch the sandwich out of a hungry chids mouth if they think it will make them a quarter. Furthermore, that crumb snatcher will feel absolutely no remorse whatsoever for their actions. It's hard to imagine being that cold hearted of a person, but they're everywhere. 

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crumbcake Posted 15 Nov 2012 , 3:11am
post #14 of 16

We have a restaurant/bakery/deli, and last year we received the same call.  Ordering a large catering order and then the part with someone coming to pick it up and pay in cash.  Called the police,and they investigated it and the call came from Africa somewhere.  Of course we did not fall for it, they tried to pay for it by credit card and each time a different number that was declined.  Gotta be careful these days.

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sianpa22 Posted 15 Nov 2012 , 8:49pm
post #15 of 16

i've gotten 3 emails in the last month alone. they're all pretty much the same just with a slight wording difference and client name. looked like a scam from the get-go so i just ignored it! it's crazy what people are doing to get some easy-money!

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shanter Posted 16 Nov 2012 , 5:18am
post #16 of 16

You need to read this wonderful thing by Costumeczar:

http://www.acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/p/fun-with-email-scammers.html

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