I got this email this morning. I swear that I simply cut/pasted it, I did not change a singe letter:
Hello Owner..
Ma George Moore and am sending you an email regarding for some wedding cake and also i will be to much great full if you can send me attachment picture for the cakes that are available on sale with the price list . also if i may ask can i know the method of payment you do accept as a payment ? Kindle as soon as you getting back to i will be like to know your name and also your Shop #? your early reply will be my appreciate .
Best Regards
Mr George Moore.....
Ok class, what does S-C-A-M spell?
I get bogus requests for "price lists" all the time too...At least this one didn't ask you to write "happy married life" on it.
I like the ones that say "Please bake me a wedding cake for 9 November 2008 and have it ready to pick up I will have a check for you. "
What is sad, is that there is a local cake decorator in my area who has a picture on their site with a picture of a cake that has Happy married life written on it. So it looks like he took the bait of that scam that was going around not to long ago.
What is sad, is that there is a local cake decorator in my area who has a picture on their site with a picture of a cake that has Happy married life written on it. So it looks like he took the bait of that scam that was going around not to long ago.
Could it be that there is someone from that culture who lives in his area?
I actually did many cakes back at my shop in California with that or very similar wording becase we had a large melting part of the Middle East and India there.
They would have their traditional ceremony then do an "American cake" with a saying like that on it for the guests.
Now would I fall for that scam in e-mail... nope. I conduct all my business transactions face to face when it gets serious enough to secure a date.
I've gotten that one via my e-mail a few times recently and I reply telling them I can't help them but my friend who I copied can. The "friend" is my state Internet Fraud Division.
I can understand what you were saying in regards to your previous cakes. This one I was talking about had the exact wording that was in that email scam that was going around with the roses etc. So I'm thinking that is what happened in this case.
When I worked at a cake shop I got a phone call and it was the kind where a person types a message, the operator reads it and I respond. Didn't think much of it, took their email and sent some info.
They wanted us to ship the cake to Canada, they would assume all responsibility. And they would be "happy to give you an extra $100, would that be good?" As soon as I saw this I said, uhh SCAM, im done.
For me it started to be a pain to deal with and I gave up, but my boss (owner) wanted to to it so bad because it was a big cake worth $$$$ so he persude it until he couldn't get a credit card (WHAT A WASTE OF TIME). lol. Oh well. I learned so much from working there.... especially what NOT to do
Heather,
the scam is that they run you through all of these hoops and offer you extra money for all the work, but then pay you with a bogus check, fake credit card number or something along those lines. You don't find out about it until after they've gone. So you are out all of the ingredients, time and effort.
If you insist on payment more than 2 weeks in advance, its amazing how they suddenly no longer need a cake! It generally takes 10 days for a check to clear.
Yep, I got the "Happy Married Life" recently so I thought I'd play along with them. I told them I needed to schedule a "tasting" to meet with them. I required $50 nonrefundable deposit and full payment 4 weeks prior to the date.
He agreed but wanted to know what the "price" was for his requested cake. I replied and said I only discuss price in person at the tasting. I haven't heard from him again.
the scam is that they run you through all of these hoops and offer you extra money for all the work, but then pay you with a bogus check, fake credit card number or something along those lines. You don't find out about it until after they've gone. So you are out all of the ingredients, time and effort.
More often, the scammers have no interest in the item being purchased, in this case, cake. They couldn't care less. The scam is that they will issue a check with some huge overage that they ask you to pay their "shipper". So for instance, you are charging them $500 for the cake, and they give you a check for $1000. They tell you that an extra $100 is for you, and please pay their shipper $400 when he comes to pick up the cake. So you deposit the check in your account, and pay the shipper $400. Then, weeks later, the check comes back as fraudulent and you are out the $400 cash (plus the cake).
kelleym is absolutely correct, I had a friend who almost fell for this when she was selling laptops!! They paid her $7,000 for a $2,000 laptop and said to keep $1,000, but send the other $4,000 back in the form of a cashiers check or something like that. She went ahead and deposited the check, but didn't send the overage or the laptop, waited to see if it cleared. Of course it didn't, but it took weeks to come back. It was a very accomplished forgery of a cashiers check in reality! The bank didn't even recognize it as a forgery until they sent it wherever they send it for processing. (Ok, I don't know the bank process, I think that's obvious here!) Anyway, she ended up not losing money or product because she waited, but the bank did close all of her accounts and ask her to take her business elsewhere!! Even though it wasn't her doing the scamming!
My brother had the same thing happen to him with a CAR! He had it on craigslist, someone wanted him to ship it to Iraq and sent him a fake money order, I told him it was fake and it sounded like the same scam i read about here, and he didnt listen! He now owes his bank 4200.00!
*edited for a bonehead spelling mistake!
Unbelievable and terribly sad that people do this over cake! People have way too much time on their hands. Luckily I spend the time I don't have on CC!
The hair stands up on the back of my neck (when something is not quite right)- I ALWAYS ASK FOR CASH WHEN THAT HAPPENS. Half when the order is taken and the balance one week before delivery.
Happy Baking and Decorating,
Chef Angie
It can happen with ANY kind of merchandise, or even a service. In my other life as a ballroom dancer, I have seen the scam attempted on people who are trying to sell ballgowns online. The scammers attempted to scam a well-known professional by trying to pre-pay for dance lessons, naturally offering to pay much, much higher than the pro's hourly rate.
Just trust your gut, ask questions, and always, always request a face to face meeting and cash in hand before you begin.
I got this email just today....how are you going to pay me for something you havent even asked for yet? LOL
I'll be mailing a check via my Bank to you due to my job transfer and shortness of time. However, to ease the pick up, I'll be engaging the services of a mover to do that after the check has been cashed. I'll need this details below to mail out the payment to you asap...
The Full name on the Check
Mailing address be it residential or office
Cell phone # and
Final Price of the item
I'll appreciate it if the item is kept for me. Thank you for the understanding.
Regards
These people really need to get a life...and a REAL job perhaps?
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