I just received this email via my contact form, and it had me majorly twitching...it doesn't seem right at all. What do you think:
script: email.php
recipient: [email protected]
subject: Contact Form
*I EDITED OUT CONTACT INFO*
Comments: Hello!
My name is Kim Lohan from Germany (Europe). I will be coming over to Georgia , GA with my fiance James Phillips . We'll be moving to the US to start a new life 'cause my husband to be just got a job with the Coca Cola CO. in that area.
Just before then we will be getting married on the 12th of December, 2009 and we have decided to get married in The States since we're moving on and we pretty know our new home would be wonderful.
We'll be needing your services to help take care of our Wedding Cake. The wedding planning and catering services will be taken care of by our committee of friends. The wedding ceremony and reception will take place in one location so our out of town guests will not have any problem with transportation. We are expecting at most 70 People and request to know the cost of a beautiful Heart Shape Cake that will serve the number of guests. Our budget for the wedding cake is $2000. Kindly let us know if you can take care of this because we would like to properly book your service before our arrival in the states towards the end of the year.
Have a wonderful day!!!
Regards,
Kim
Okay, wedding plans taken care of by a 'committee of friends', a wedding cake budget of $2000 for a cake to only serve 70, AND she's moving to Georgia, GA?! Also, there is no mention anywhere of where the 'wedding/reception' is even taken place...I might not be even remotely close! Okay, I have no idea if this is really legit or not, but I definitely think something strange is up! Has anyone else received something like this? I also received this email after receiving a referral notice from one of the websites I'm a member of...so who knows 
Hmmmmm...it sounds a little suspicious to me. Why wouldn't her committee of friends who are taking care of the location, catering, etc. NOT take care of the cake as well?
I have never done a wedding cake, but I think I would avoid this order. That's just me and a gut feeling. People with more experience in this area will be more helpful probably.
Another thing I thought was odd was that her email address was for yahoo.fr...if she is located in Germany why have a FRENCH email account? I looked up her user id, and there is no one with that id...
Chalk this one up to..."Sorry, I'm already booked for that time frame." Bwa ha ha 
Sounds good, Mike! I did send a 'I regret to inform you that we are booked for that date' email, and I was surprised it didn't come back to me yet (not that it won't but...), so we'll see what comes out of that!
It does seem a little strange, but, it doesn't have any of the traditional red flags that are typicaly in the other scam emails about ordering a wedding cake.
If you go for a deposit you may get scammed. In a nutshell..... Typically they will send a bad check or fake money order for an amount over what you request and ask that you send them the overage back. By the time the bank figures it out you are out of all the $$.
Tell them $$ only through Paypal or wire transfer since they are overseas.
YES, ITS A SCAM.
I get these regularly. Here's how it works. She'll send you a check for $3000 or so. It will look like a Certified Check. She'll ask you to send the excess $ back to her via a service like Western Union. You take the check to your bank, deposit it, wait two weeks for it to clear and send her the "overage." Since this is an out of country check, and was drawn on a non-existent back, it may take 4-6 weeks to bounce. At that point, youre out $1K plus whatever fees your bank charges for bad checks.
This scam has been going around for years.
Surprise of surprises...I never got a response to my totally innocent 'we're so so busy that weekend' email! Blah, why do people do this type of crap? Honestly, get a normal job, losers!
So, this now makes two times I've gotten a nice cake scam email! Oooo...I'm slowly getting popular 
!
Thanks Everyone!
I get scam's too. This day in age you have to careful. I agree that why didn't she have her friends take care of the cake too.
$2,000 budget for a cake that serves 70???? They should contact Duff.
This subject can not come up enough to spread the word.
I recently got a request for 250 8" cakes to give as Wedding Favors. It was too far for me so I gave her information for someone closer to her.
Never heard from her again. Now I look back and think I bet that was a scam.
the scammers are getting a little smarter, looking a bit more legit. grrrr
melody
i just got that same email today!!!!!!!!!! I emailed back telling that once they move to ATL we can meet for tasting, but I can not do anything via email. we'll see...
People...uummm!
Wow, you got the same one? Their definitely trying hard, huh. Honestly, if they were really serious they should be calling the bakeries and cake decorator's directly...and I do know that international calls are EXPENSIVE, but someone who has a $2000 budget for a 70 serving cake can afford an international call to confirm their all important wedding cake! Sheesh 
Really, DO NOT respond. That only confirms to the scammers that they have hit an active email. Then they will provide your email to other scammers. They work in groups.
Leahs is exactly right! If you ever suspect an email is a scam, just delete it and move on. By confirming that your email address is real and they can make contact with you, you are opening up a whole new can of worms!!
Ack! Oh well, live and learn...the first one I received, I just deleted because it was so obvious, but I wanted to give this one the shadow of doubt just because it sounds plausible. It is interesting that they contacted other Atlanta based decorators though...hmmm
...and I do know that international calls are EXPENSIVE, but someone who has a $2000 budget for a 70 serving cake can afford an international call to confirm their all important wedding cake! Sheesh
International calls aren't expensive anymore. I live in Germany and pay a flat fee of about â¬5/month (if I remember correctly) for unlimited international calls to a relatively long list of countries. Which means: don't assume that an international call is an indication of somebody's seriousness. It's a global world.
On the other hand, a person living in Germany can legitimately have a French e-mail address. The country only indicates where the provider of the e-mail address is located. Anybody can go to my provider and sign up for a free .de address. Or go to a provider's website in France and sign up for .fr (or Switzerland for .ch).
Sometimes it can just be a matter of preference or maybe an old address that was kept after an international move.
Again, it's a global world.
Jenny
It is interesting that they contacted other Atlanta based decorators though...hmmm
Not unusual at all. You guys don't think like criminals. Do an online search for all cake decorators in a big city and send out a mass email. Easiest way to do it.
And seriously, I know there are some talented people on here, but really now, who gets $28 per serving??????? The usual complaints around here are "I can't get anyone in my area to pay $3 per serving."
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