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Is this a scam?
It’s not a Nigerian prince but this does smell a little. A couple of weeks back I received an email from someone with an American or British type name from Romania and he inquired about me doing a two camera shoot in a fancy downtown (union) hotel at a conference. I wrote back with a list of questions and said I could do an estimate once I had the answers.
Let me say it is common for foreigners to email and hire me because I have high Chicago SEO, but seldom from an economically depressed country. I had asked for more details about him, his company and the project and no response. I Googled his name and nothing appears. He has a Yahoo email address. I never sent him prices.
I received an email from him this morning saying his “associate” has sent me a check and I should reserve the date. He included a postal tracking number and it seems legit, the postal office says there will be an envelope arriving soon. I do recall there is a scam on Craigslist where the crooks send a check but can’t recall the details. The only trap I think I face is if I cash the check, they cancel the shoot, and I am expected to refund them their money but their check bounces, right?
So, anyone been through this before? It is not uncommon for someone who does not know what he is doing being assigned to line up the video crew.
Ned Miller
Chicago Videographer
http://www.nedmiller.com
www,bizvideo.com -
30 Replies
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This sounds much like a scam where they will send you a check that just happens to be for “too much” and asks you to refund the difference… or will cancel and ask you to write them a refund check.
And of course, their original check is rubber.
Who in their right mind would send a check without ever even discussing prices? Answer, obviously…. no one.
Laugh it off and steer clear.
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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If you still feel conflicted, you can sign the check over to me.:-)
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Ned I also had a similar request for about a shoot at a local conference. It came from someone named Patrick Allanl LLC in Romania. Here’s their initial email.
We are Allan Patrick LLC llc Romania looking for professional Video
Production Company to Film Our incoming event which 15th,of March &
16th of March 2016 in Film in South FloridaDescription
1.]Project Part 1: To film all the presentations of speakers between
12pm and 2pm over 2 days in Film in South Florida , Capturing the
audio and any Power Point slides (if used).Project Part 2: To produce a short behind the scene style event
highlight video of the 2 day event. To possibly include Vox Pop style
interviews with either delegates and or key speakers.Waiting to read from you soon Pls email us to allanpatrick06@gmail.com
They answered all of my questions. The key point was that I sent them a full agreement that asked for payment to cover my costs 1 month before the shoot. Strangely they never responded after that. I guess they figured out that in one month, their check would bounce. I suggest that EVERYONE always write up a proposal and agreement even for the smallest of shows. You’ll be glad you did.
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Greg!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes! Same guy, word for word. What’s different is I just received a check in the mail for $4900! One minute after getting it from the mailbox I got an email from him (aledgedly in Romania) asking if I received the check and I answered Yes. Freaked me out, as if someone was watching me get it from my mailbox.
Took a circuitoutous route to my bank in case I was followed, and the banker made some calls and the check is bogus. So I emailed him back saying I don’t want his job because it is a union venue and I won’t deposit his check since I want to buy time to get law enforcement involved. Then he emails me back asking if I can work in a small suburban hotel and I say Yes. Meanwhile I will take it to the postmaster general, they have a powerful fraud enforcement arm.
I’d like to spread the word about him although he can easily change his name.
Ned Miller
Chicago Videographer
http://www.nedmiller.com
www,bizvideo.com -
Wow Ned! That’s pretty freaky! He even told me that his budget was $3,200. I told him that wasn’t gonna cut it. When I asked him what venue the conference was goung to be held at, he said the Holiday Inn Express, 3 miles from my office. How convenient!!! (Although I don’t think they have a meeting facility there)
So he must look up your location on-line and then find a local hotel to name. I wrote him back today to let him know he’s busted. Glad we both found out before it was too late.
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[Greg Ball] ” I asked him what venue the conference was goung to be held at, he said the Holiday Inn Express, 3 miles from my office.”
I got almost exactly the same email a couple of weeks ago, almost the same wording, except the event was a wedding. I started to simply reply that we don’t do weddings, but since I could tell it was a scam from the get-go I decided to trade a few emails just to jerk them around a bit.
I, too, asked what the venue was, and was given the address of a hotel in San Francisco. I replied that was all fine and good, with the minor exception that we are 2,300 miles from there on the opposite coast.
To my surprise they did reply, saying “We will take care of your travel expenses.” For a wedding video. Yeah.
By then I was bored, told them I knew it was a scam and to peddle their crap somewhere else. Didn’t hear back that time.
Amazing what people will try.
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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Hey Greg,
When you say you let him know he’s “busted”, did you mention me? I hope not because I was going to get the postal service on him tomorrow and I was hoping to trace him down physically. Really bust him, not just metaphorically, but get him arrested. He committed a felony s using the mail. Smart fraudsters use Fed Ex and UPS.
Ned Miller
Chicago Videographer
http://www.nedmiller.com
www,bizvideo.com -
Hi Ned,
No I didn’t mention you. I just wrote this:
Apparently your request was not real, and you’re running a scam. I guess asking for a check a month in advance along with a signing a legal agreement was too much for you!
SHAME ON YOU!!
Go after him Ned, and if you need a witness, I’m here.
Greg
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UPDATE:
Thank you Greg for not spilling the beans. I had great fun with him for a few days. I acted naive and susceptible. He wanted the deposit to go to a bank branch in Phoenix and I claimed my brother who lives there would make a cash deposit, but I kept delaying it day after day and he got quite excited that his money was coming, that he found an idiot. Fun for awhile. Then he started pressuring me. By then I had notified the Postal Service police and they had said to also get the FBI involved since his check crossed state lines. Although he is probably foreign based, most likely Nigeria or Romania, his compatriot in the US had counterfeited the check and may have fingerprints on the paperwork so I forwarded that to the FBI. Someone local opened their checking account.
I notified Production Hub and asked them to post a public service announcement and will do the same with DVXUSER.com. I don’t think anyone in our biz is stupid enough to send a refund to him, but I did waste twenty minutes of my life creating a detailed bid when his first email came in. So I hope by spreading the word people won’t even bother doing a bid. Although his English skills are atrocious I often deal with foreigners, so I had to treat his first email as a possible gig. I’m like Pavlov’s dog when an inquiry email comes in!
Ned Miller
Chicago Videographer
http://www.nedmiller.com
www,bizvideo.com -
Not a problem Ned. I also spent time preparing a proposal and an agreement. I sent him questions and he answered them. I told him his requested price was too low give the scope of the project. And he easily agreed to the new number. I think what threw him off was that I requested payment a month in advance, and sent him a legal agreement. I never heard back from him even though I sent him about 5 emails.
I hope these guys get nailed. Thanks for all you’ve done for others in the industry. Let me know if anything happens.
Greg Ball, President
Ball Media Innovations, Inc.
https://www.ballmediainnovations.com
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