 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-03-05 00:34
Hi,Glad to inform you that , there would be a Wedding Ceremony of my beloved sister (Nancy), coming up on the 22nd Of march which would be held in within the state, but the location is yet to announce by the party planner, so we would need a musician/band player e.g. on that day , we will want to know if you will be available to render us your valuable service for that date, if so , we would need you for the service, People in Attendance would be between 150/200. so we would want you to get back to us with the total cost for the services and your availability .I would be glad to read from you regarding your service to us that day.
Cheers.
---------------------------------------
Don't even ask. If ya don't see that this is a scam, go ahead and show up at the gig .........
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2008-03-05 00:36
I don't know David,
My wife and I didn't announce the location of our wedding until the day before hand.....
yeah right.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: GBK
Date: 2008-03-05 01:09
"...We will send you an advance check for $2 million for your service.
Just send us back $100,000 and keep the rest for yourself..." ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
...GBK
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-03-05 01:45
This same scam is popular among photographers (as potential victims). I moderate the Popular Photography Forums, and we get wind of this stuff from time to time from some of our members. The musician angle is new, though.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-03-05 02:56
I could do a few Bach Cello suites on the bass clarinet and follow it up with a few Rose studies on clarinet. That way I can keep the whole fee for myself. Gee, if it pays enough, maybe I could get our whole orchestra to play, we can do some Strauss Walzes. Let me know the date when you find out and I'll talk to our manegment. Oh wait, are we supposed to pay him? ESP
www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2008-03-05 06:13
They're getting better at this..... i guess thats what we get when we teach the world english. they figure, hey, Americans are dumb! anyone can make money off of them! why not us!
I will send you 1,000,000 dollars but you must first confirm you are friend of me and you will make sure i have save passage.
they might even one day..... write as legit musicans! cause we roll big
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: FrankM
Date: 2008-03-05 10:47
I'm slow...how are they making money off of this?
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2008-03-05 11:19
-- "I'm slow...how are they making money off of this?" --
I guess they just post a cheque for more than agreed, then ask for the difference to be sent back by cheque.
Your cheque is okay, but their cheque isn't - but sometimes it takes a long time for the banks to realise.
What really makes me sick are the cruel *&$^!!s who play this trick on music teachers in the UK. Always rich-sounding people from abroad looking for a suitable tutor for their kids. Makes me mad!!
Steve
PS Incidentally, if you want to know how to avoid scam emails, just send me your Paypal username and password and I'll show a failsafe method that really works.
;-)
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Author: William
Date: 2008-03-05 17:10
The english is bad, but they are only asking if you are available and how much you charge for your "valuable servicies". No mention of (them) sending a check or (you) returning the excess amount--so what's the scam???? It seems you are assuming dishonesty and scam simply on the basis of the imperfect rhetoric used, not the intent.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-03-05 17:52
It is a classic form letter, generated by scammers, much like the ones you will see when you list something for sale on a bulletin board or on eBay.
The scam comes in when you reply. Then they make the pitch and agree to a price you are willing to charge. After that, they offer to send you a "cashier's check" well in excess of the agreed amount. They either ask you to send back the difference or to give the difference in cash back to their "agent" who will finalize the transaction and/or pick up what you have agreed to sell. You go ahead and do this, and (wonder of wonders!) the check they sent you bounces. It was a fake. And now, you are out the money you gave these crooks, plus whatever you might have given them in a sale-type transaction.
To say that we don't know for sure and thaty we are making assumptions based on their bad English is an error. We make the assumptions based on documented cases of people running these scams on other people.
I had an Amateur Radio antenna, easily worth more than $800 at today's prices. I never put it up, it was still new in the box, and wanted to sell it. I put ads online, and got one of these type of messages. They agreed to my price. Then came the e-mail that they would send me a "cashier's check" for for more than twice the selling price. I was to cash the check, then meet the guy's "US agent" and give him the antenna and the change, even allowing me to keep an extra $100 for my trouble. I told them that the transaction would have to be in cash, or they would have to send the check 3 weeks in advance(enough time to clear the check or let it bounce), and I would be happy to meet with the "agent" at the coffee shop just down the street from my local police station. I never heard back from them again. I sold it to a legitimate buyer for cash, three days later.
These scams happen every day. Just because you are not aware of them does not make our judgment flawed.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: donald
Date: 2008-03-05 18:27
you'd have to be really really stupid to lose any money after getting a letter like that... i don't think i know anyone that stupid but i suppose there must be people out there...
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2008-03-05 18:42
William wrote:
> The english is bad, but they are only asking if you are
> available and how much you charge for your "valuable
> servicies".
Generic messages from unknown people in unknown locations are generic scams.
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Author: EuGeneSee
Date: 2008-03-05 19:43
Donald, I don't know what some folks eat that destroys brain cells, but one goes through a lifetime reading about scams and still fall for them.
Example: Someone withdraws all their savings to "insure that they are being honest" (or something similar), it's put in a bag and taped up, but then the bag is covertly switched, and the person is left with a bag of currency-size pieces of paper. One of the oldest scams known to man and IT STILL WORKS! Go figure.
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Author: William
Date: 2008-03-05 20:16
Mark posted, "Generic messages from unknown people in unknown locations are generic scams."
Maybe, but not necessarily always (just a "never say never" kind of clarinetist :>)
Discrimination against people who do not speak well is my main concern here. But aside from that, the letter posted really asks only if you are available to play for the said event and how much you would charge for your valuable services--a reasonable request in any language, foreign or domestic, bad or good, personal or generic. To assume that a subsequent scam is inevitable is like putting "the cart before the horse". I would certainly recommend a cautionary approach in further negotiations with the party requesting your services, but as the letter stands, it deserves no more than your consideration in terms of your availability and your fee--not your discriminatory prejudgement. At the very least, the prospective customer deserves a curtious business like reply.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2008-03-05 20:44
William wrote:
> Mark posted, "Generic messages from unknown people in unknown
> locations are generic scams."
>
> Maybe, but not necessarily always (just a "never say never"
> kind of clarinetist :>)
I'd lose the business rather than even responding, not from the lack of language skills, but for the lack of specificity.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-03-05 21:14
nah, go right ahead and discriminate in this instance....
bad English screams of this guy most likely from Nigeria being a criminal. Reality can be harsh for the naive.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2008-03-06 22:08
"bad English screams of this guy most likely from Nigeria being a criminal"
Mark, GBK- are you guys comfortable with people writing stuff like this here?
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Author: William
Date: 2008-03-06 22:24
"bad English screams of this guy most likely from Nigeria being a criminal"
Mark, GBK- are you guys comfortable with people writing stuff like this here?
FWIW, I second this concern.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2008-03-06 22:30
The poster is an adult and everyone is free to examine the statement and question the poster. I might have admonished a child ...
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-03-06 22:45
...to get back to the subject - (just in order to make another detour) - why are checks so popular in the US when they're just an invitation for fraud and money laundering?
I'd never ever accept a check - either cash or PMO or bank transfer.
--
Ben
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2008-03-06 23:11
tictactux wrote:
> ...to get back to the subject - (just in order to make another
> detour) - why are checks so popular in the US when they're just
> an invitation for fraud and money laundering?
Personal checks are verifiable and generally people are honest. Cashier's checks used to be pretty safe-until the scams of recent years.
Personally, I like credit cards (not debit cards) for the convenience and safety. In the USA, you're only liable for a maximum of $50 in case of fraud.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-03-06 23:19
The ABC show 20 20 did a 2 hour expose on these and the internet cafes in Nigeria that they almost 100 % originate from. I didn't make it up. Ironicaly a former students father was part of the story.
He lost millions.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2008-03-06 23:36
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-wFhy0ouzI
thats the segment for the 20/20 episode highlighting the nigerian scammers.
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2008-03-07 00:35
DavidBlumberg wrote:
> The ABC show 20 20 did a 2 hour expose on these and the
> internet cafes in Nigeria that they almost 100 % originate
> from.
Talk about missing the point!
Logical fallacy follows
Nigeria is the source of many email scams.
Broken/improper English is used in many Nigerian scam emails
ergo
Emails with broken/improper English are Nigerian scams.
Re-read what you wrote earlier.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-03-07 00:54
Nope, your link is NBC not ABC. There is a partial 7 min clip on utube searching 20 20 nigerian scam which at the end shows pictures of Americans who were victims and my guy is the first picture shown. His wife was a senator, and son is Chelsea Clinton's long time boyfriend
. Heck of a story with many layers to it.
Bad ending....
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-03-07 01:07
Just saw your last post mark.
My logic is that the phraseology is the same as the nigerian scams. A brother never hires a band when there is a party planner hired to do that.
And, I never do weddings. Combined that the mail went to many addresses as mine didn't even show on the mail, and it was the 3rd one in 2 days that I got
So wanted to warn about it .
New twist on old scam.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2008-03-07 01:14
DavidBlumberg wrote:
You wrote
> bad English screams of this guy most likely from Nigeria being a criminal.
then you wrote:
> My logic is that the phraseology is the same as the nigerian
> scams.
The two statements say something very much different - even if you don't think so.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2008-03-07 06:22
"The rules are set up to respect people, companies, and property."
"Don't accuse people of crimes; that's what courts are for. If some company or some person has personally treated you badly, that's a fine thing to discuss, but be very careful not to call them a criminal!"
Yeah, right...
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