E-mail Scam. Cool!

[Rick Inman]

Hey, I just got this email. Obviously a total scam:

To Whom It May Concern:

Thank you for reading my email. At the first time, please let me to introduce my self. I'm Samuel Chou. I represent Winko Pte Ltd; was located in Singapore. I'm writing to place an order for #6(six) unit of Suunto D9 Dive Computer Watch with Transmitter. I would also like to know if it is possible to made the payment by credit card and to ship your product via DHL Express. Thank you for your attention. Please contact me if you have any question. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,
Samuel Chou
Purchasing Department
Winko Pte Ltd.
Singapore

I don't own a store, but I think I'll play this guy for a bit. What's retail on these things? I'll start by sending him an email with a price 1.5 time retail. Bet he doesn't even blink.

 

[Brandon]

Ya know... I heard a story once.

A guy was approached on Amazon marketplace with a similar scam. Guy wanted to buy his laptop with an obvious scam technique "I'll send you a check for over the amount, keep the extra, just send me the laptop"

Of course, the marketplace seller was in the USA, and the scammer was in the UK. He played along, and the guy sent the check, provided a shipping address, and asked that he send it marked as a "gift" to avoid customs duties.

The seller sent a roughly 8 pound package, labeled as a laptop, for the full value ($2500) or so. Cost him about $75 to send it to the scammer. Scammer had to pay $400 bucks to get it out of customs impound, and ended up receiving jack crap!

Reverse scams are awesome =)

Welcome to the 419 Eater for lots of good ones!

-B.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

:lol: I second Brandon's suggestion. We get this kind of crap all the time, especially from China, since we are in the molding business. Reminds me of the Nigerian scammer scammers. LOL

 

[scubadale]

Check out ScamBaiting at it's finest - Scam Baiting for Fun and Justice theScamBaiter.com these guys get scammers to send all kinds of pics and spend lots of their own money.

Enjoy yourself and play him for all the fun you can get out of him.

 

[mike_s]

Hmmm... he wants to purchase via credit card.

If you were a shop, so you ship him the computers, then for some reason he says he doesn't get them or the card is stolen and then credit card company takes back the money and you're out 6 computers. then hard to prosecute in another country. I wonder how many folks fall for this?

You should have fun playing with him. You can get the price off LP. At least suck up his time and screw with him. Tell him you need 20% up front in a bank check first. heh...



So on the laptop, anyway to check to see if the guy actually got it out of customs?

 

[Rick Inman]

OK, I opened a gmail account using the name DAN Hyperbaric, pasted his origional email as if it was a reply (changing the TO: to DAN Hyperbaric), and sent him the following:

Hi Sam!

I'm am going to get you my most special price! You will be so happy, you will want to send me a bonus.

I can get you a better deal on 12, rather than 6, and save you 3% - How about that, Sammy?

I have to spend the next 6 hours in the chamber, but when I get out I'll email you a price. Okedokey?

With my most special reguards,

DAN

 

[Warthaug]

...
The seller sent a roughly 8 pound package, labeled as a laptop, for the full value ($2500) or so. Cost him about $75 to send it to the scammer. Scammer had to pay $400 bucks to get it out of customs impound, and ended up receiving jack crap!

Reverse scams are awesome =)

Welcome to the 419 Eater for lots of good ones!

-B.

Great, unless the scammer puts up some sorta complaint...

My usual response is to send the following e-mail.

Sorry, I do not do business with scammers. I have passed your e-mail information onto the Royal Canadian Mounted Police fraud unit, and to <xyz>, your local law enforcement agency as determined by your e-mail header information.

Where <xyz> is the name of whatever they call the local police organization in whatever country the e-mail originated from.

I rarely hear back, although I get the occasional reply from the police agencies I forward the information onto.

Bryan

 

[Brandon]

So on the laptop, anyway to check to see if the guy actually got it out of customs?

Supposedly he did...

The Powerbook Prank: He wanted a Powerbook. We gave him a P-P-P-Powerbook!

-B

 

[Brandon]

Course... Bryan's suggestion is much more professional =)

-B

 

[Cave Diver]

Course... Bryan's suggestion is much more professional =)

-B

But not nearly as funny!