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-   -   Is this a scam? (http://portraitartistforum.com/showthread.php?t=5791)

Patt Legg 05-04-2005 06:02 PM

Hello Patt,

Thanks for your e-mail.I am sorry for getting back lately. I went for a medical check up due to I am expecting a new baby girl in the few weeks.

I will like to proceed with the purchase of the paintings,Due to the shipping charges of the paintings and some other house decoratives with the shipping company,I am interested in buying only item #2 for $1750.00 ( seventeen hundred fifty dollars) . I have instructed a shipping company to get in touch with you. Have you been in contact by them? Please let me know.

I am paying you with a cashier's check,It can be easily be cashed at any nearby ATM cash store since it is a cashier's check,Please advise if you have any ATM cash store in your location.

I look forwarding to hear from you ASAP.

Best Regards,

Mary.


The second one above.

Patt Legg 05-04-2005 06:06 PM


Hi Patt,

Thanks for your e-mail. I will like to proceed with one out of the two paintings i.e My large oils Pinting #2 for only $1750.00,Are you giving me any discount on this? Please let me know.

Please kindly send to them the total amount of shipping ASAP,so they will contact me on how to proceed with the payment. We have some other house decoratives with them that they would be shipping to us in our new house in the Republic of Benin.

I understand that you will recieve payment in full before releasing the art work . I am sending you a Cashiers Check for the payment,which you can have cashed the same day you receive it arrives.

I am expecting my second child. I found your art work at World artist Registry.

I am looking forward to hearing from you ASAP.

Best Regards,

Mrs Mary White.


This is the last and final one that I received today.
Please let me know what you think.

I checked up on some scams for Cashiers Checks. Many times they are writing them for more than the amount and then asking you to send the balance back to them.

I wish there was some way to tell of it's origin --the email itself.

Patt Legg 05-04-2005 06:10 PM

Here is the first one again. Sorry!!!!

Hello Patt Legg ,

My name is Mary Wilson from the United kingdom,I am interested in buying some of your art work,,they are all beautiful.I want to use them as a decoratives in our new house in the Republic of Benin . beautiful,I am interested in buying these paintings to purchase from you.

(1) "Just The Two Of Us" Oil 30 x 40
(2) Storm On The Horizont" Oil 22 x 28


Kindly get back to me with the total price of the selected paintings excluding shipping cost,I have informed a shipping company that will be shipping some of our other house decors.

I am paying you with a US C- check.

I am looking forward to your response.

Best Regards,

Mary.

Michele Rushworth 05-04-2005 08:39 PM

I would talk to your bank to get their thoughts on what you should do.

Terri Ficenec 05-04-2005 09:38 PM

Patt--

This has got to be a scam. Did you not notice that her name changed from Mary Wilson in the first letter to Mary White in the third???!

The shipping company, 'shipping other household items' is a red flag as well. Guaranteed, she will try to get you to pay the shipping company out of the same cashier's check she sends to you with 'enough for all that shipping' as well. That will be money out of your pocket when the Cashier's Check turns out to be a fake after all. Don't fall for it.

Cynthia Daniel 05-04-2005 09:57 PM

Another tip-off - they typically say ALL your work is beautiful. Ask for a phone number and physical address - bet she won't give you this information or if she does, it will be fake. These scammers are getting more and more clever. I feel very strongly this is a scam.

Patt Legg 05-04-2005 10:13 PM

Terri

What did you say your day job was "detective"? :) Very clever and until I put them together, I had not noticed but RED flags were going up everywhere. Now--here's a clincher is the email from the "shipper" with even one other name:

Good day Sir/Ma,

I received an e-mail from Mrs Treva that we should work with you to ship some artwork paintings from you to her new house in Africa very soon.

Please get back to us with full details of the kind of art works to be shipped, As she advised, we will be picking up the art works from your gallery. we need to know the weight...e.t.c so we can send our bill to her for payment with her other house decors.

I look forwarding to hear from you soon.

Thanks

Ben

For: UKSHIPPERS
:thumbsdow


The thumbs down is from me.

Thank you all for your support. Please tell me that you UNDERSTAND my excitement. I thought all of my hard work ( you can catch my list under Time Management thread) had finally paid off with managing my own site and all.

This is off subject but actually connected too. Question :? I am trying to add a PayPal button on my site. I understand that is fairly ok. What do you think? That way CC and bank accounts are already cleared by them.

Thanks again so much
I will write one more email to Mary Wilson, Mary White and Mrs. Treva. Wow :( I have been duped.

Terri Ficenec 05-04-2005 10:20 PM

Patt--
So glad you saw through it in time. I was worried for you. :)

By the way, before you respond back to 'them'... you may want to contact local law enforcement and possibly other officials... the Colorado attorney general's warning on these kind of scams notes that:[INDENT][B]"Citizens are warned that fraudulent cashier

Patt Legg 05-04-2005 10:33 PM

Thanks Terri

About that WV law enforcement.---well, let's put it this way. We (my hubby and I ) were in CC Identity Theft sort of. By that---I mean we were getting charges and weird phone calls for 8 months about things. Long story short----luckily my hubby checks CC purchases ver-r-r-r-y closly and we stopped them short but never found out how or who. We reported to local law enforcement and they just kind of said basically --hope it doesn't happen again and we'll look into it. They won't but I am seaching (via internet) as to how I can tell the other pros in law about it.

I was worried about me too. ;)

Jean Kelly 05-05-2005 12:09 AM

I've been reading this thread with interest and was worried about you too. I'm so glad you posted here and everyone caught the scam before you got stung. I'm disappointed for you also, and wish you a real sale to make up for this bull!

Jean


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