Thread: What do you think? (smells fishy?)

Hi!

I recently got my website up and running for my belly dance instruction business and things have been good...lots of women contacting me about my classes and/or private instruction. However, at 3:11 in the morning today I got an email from a guy and it says the following:
"Hi, How are you doing today?I got your information as a belly dance teacher and I want training for my daughter (Sandra) in your studio.Sandra is a 14 year old girl and is ready to learn.Please I want to know your policy with regard to fees, cancellations, and make-up lessons.Also,get back to me with the total fees for six month lessons(two one-hour lessons in a week) starting from June 5th.
In addition,I want to know the studio location and your phone number.Looking forward to hearing from you.
My best regards, John"

Sooooo...for some reason my BS meter is going off...what do you think? How should I proceed? I was thinking of emailing back and asking some probing questions...I just don't know....I read the email and thought...no way.

Thanks for helping me! :)

Leyla

I just got the same email... word for word... so yes, I call BS on this one too.

BS meter going off over here, too!

Don't give him your location or phone number. Maybe ask a few more questions about his "daughter" and see how he replies.

Men must think we were born yesterday, sheesh....

My teacher in MI had something similar happen to her and it was a total scam.

Then again, I could be wrong, but rarely does my intuition steer me in the wrong direction.

I just got the same exact email this morning and was about to post it!!!

Here's the copy of my email--I looks exactly like yours does:

Hi, How are you doing today?I got your information as a belly dance teacher and I want training for my daughter (Sandra) in your studio.Sandra is a 14 year old girl and is ready to learn.Please I want to know your policy with regard to fees, cancellations, and make-up lessons.Also,get back to me with the total fees for six month lessons(two one-hour lessons in a week) starting from June 5th.
* In addition,I want to know the studio location and your phone number.Looking forward to hearing from you.
My best regards,
*
John.

I was going to say I might answer the questions in his first paragraph, but that it sounded fishy, to me, too. Then I read Ceydahazine's response and ewww, nevermind, that is a pretty definitive "delete". Either that or report it as a scam: There are links on craigslist where you can report scams online.
ETA: I looked up cyberstalking and cyberharrassment, and it just says to report it to local law enforcement. This guy is up to no good, but I don't know how much of a law enforcement priority he'd be... You never know, though, somebody once rang my doorbell purporting to be from the cable company, and proceeded to go to my backyard to "check the cable box"... I don't have cable, so I called the cable company, who couldn't verify whether or not it was one of their contractors. I didn't call the police, because I was sure they wouldn't care that a "cable guy" was walking around in my yard... A few months later I read in the paper about a bust of a big multicity burglary ring, that used "cable guys" to case properties. The police may have been more interested than I'd thought.

This is leading into one of those scams where he would send you a huge counterfeit check to cover expenses for the daughter's training over a long period of time. The amount of the check will be too large and he will end up asking you to just deposit the check and wire him a refund for what was overpayed . . . or something along that line. Or maybe he'll send the check and then say the non-existent Sandra was in an accident and can't do it after all and ask for a refund. If his timing is good, you would wire him a nice chunk of money (untraceable) before your bank discovers that the check is fake, and you'd end up owing the bank for the money you wired to him. This happens to all kinds of individual advertisers of services. You could advertise a rental or a car for sale and get the same kind of thing. The pattern is that the person wants to conduct the whole transaction by e-mail without even meeting you and looking at your facility or what you have to sell or rent - and they will offer to send you a big amount of money up front even though it isn't necessary (which is where I think this guy is leading in telling you he wants to know the cost of two lessons a week for 6 months).
R

Ah Rosette, well that's better than where I was thinking he was going... Then the report scam links on craigslist to the FTC and whatnot would apply.

What Rosette said. These people change a few words and send these e-mails out to thousands of people (substitute 'tennis lessons' for 'bellydance lessons,' or martial arts or anything else).

Any time it sounds to good to be true it probably is. Scams are ALWAYS designed to arouse our greed enough to mask our good sense. They never want to just join your regular class, or hire you for a party. They want hours per week of privates, or want to fly you across the country to dance at an extraordinary wedding. You can't help but get excited -- for a second.

Then you realize it doens't make any damn sense. This guy doesn't even know where I am? What the heck?

Got the same thing :) Ignore it. These things show up pretty regularly. They want to scam you out of some money and/or information

got the same thing. referred him to the studio website. done! no phone number from me.

I have had dozens of these. Welcome to the club!

MEISSOUN

LOL! It's great to be in the club.....

Well, I pretty much was convinced it was BS, just wanting to confirm....I figured he was a rapist or something - LOL

Very glad of being naturally paranoid and suspicious! :)

I got the same thing too; there's even another thread on it - "Questionable Email" I think it's called.

Originally Posted by bellydancebyleyla

Hi!

I recently got my website up and running for my belly dance instruction business and things have been good...lots of women contacting me about my classes and/or private instruction. However, at 3:11 in the morning today I got an email from a guy and it says the following:
"Hi, How are you doing today?I got your information as a belly dance teacher and I want training for my daughter (Sandra) in your studio.Sandra is a 14 year old girl and is ready to learn.Please I want to know your policy with regard to fees, cancellations, and make-up lessons.Also,get back to me with the total fees for six month lessons(two one-hour lessons in a week) starting from June 5th.
In addition,I want to know the studio location and your phone number.Looking forward to hearing from you.
My best regards, John"

Sooooo...for some reason my BS meter is going off...what do you think? How should I proceed? I was thinking of emailing back and asking some probing questions...I just don't know....I read the email and thought...no way.

Thanks for helping me! :)

Leyla

Yes, Fish-O-Rama. I have been getting emails like that for years. I think that ultimately they ask for your bank acct # so that they can pay you up front. I always thought these emails sounded strange, but one of my friends who got the same email responded, and this is what it came to.
Isn't that gross? A scam that targets dance instructors! I guess any scam is gross.

I'm a pretty smart person ( I think so anyway ), but my mind doesn't work too well in thinking up scams. Too honest, I suppose. What a sleezy thing, scamming dance teachers. I love Rosette's explanation. What some people won't do.

The six month thing was pretty idiotic to me....I always encourage my students to never pay more than 6-weeks in advance....especially when starting out with me/belly dance. I was just stunned someone would actually inquire about a 6 month rate...LOL. I was already determined to discourage that course of action if he was legitimate. The funny thing is I wasn't thinking dollar signs, I was thinking..."Ok, I feel dirty...why is this guy contacting me and why is he hell bent on getting his teenage daughter in belly dance immediately?" I don't know, his wording screamed pedophile to me....men in this country aren't usually very well versed on the art of belly dance and typically think it's just a code word for stripping...lol

Originally Posted by ceydahazine

I just got the same email... word for word... so yes, I call BS on this one too.

I got it the same time this morning too :( I told my hubby I thought it was crap

i told him no personal info given out...come here and contact me in person
did not bother me again.

I got it too!

Did anyone get the church group one? That was hoot.

The email I got and my response---
Let me preface this with this is a scam on teachers of all kinds (dance, piano etc)
You quote X amount and they give you a money order-cashier's check etc over the amount
and ask you to refund the difference.

Of course, they're long gone when you find out that the MO etc is fake and useless.

OK so,
Here's the Email and then my reply----
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Mr. Franklin <*****@yahoo.ca>
Sent: Saturday, May 9, 2009 8:05:17 AM
Subject: Dance Classes

Amazing Grace Church Of God
8123 Ft. Smallwood Road.
Baltimore, MD 21226
USA.

To whom it may concern,

We are making inquires on the availability of dance trainers for our church choir and dance group.A total of 12 people who are to receive special dance classes and the art of dance drama as we would be having our 2009 church bazaar and fund raising sometime in June 2009.

We are looking at 4 hours daily over a period of 2weeks.Kindly do an estimate for a dance session duration of 52 hours inclusive of your payment packages and discounts applicable.Do also inform us if you accept credit cards.

Mr. Franklin
Amazing Grace Churches.
USA. 443 602 9946

++++++

Dr. Mr. Franklin!

My fees would be $8000,
US Cash only, in the bank and verified 2 weeks prior to class starting.

No money refunded,
No cashiers checks over the amount with me giving you the balance.
No out of state, out of country or off planet checks or money orders.
Of course, no credit cards of any form.

Period.

The End

(BTW, the dance boards are alight with this scam)

PS,
I teach pole dancing---- ---
I guess you could turn the communion rail on it's side if this is for a church event.

Lol! Got this email this morning too! Sandra and John must be dying to get their classes started!

Najida - LOL!!!

Originally Posted by Najida

EVERYTHING

Crying tears of laughter right now! You are a woman after my own heart!

I got it too, I always delete them.

LOL!!! I got the Sandra one last night, the church one a few days ago and just answered someone else's question ass to if the Sandra one sounded fishy on tribe.

I swear these scammers are persistant aren't they? My favorites are when thier daughter turns into their son or visa-versa midway through a four sentence inquiry. If I have the time I send them a standard form reply that tells them the current class schedule, how to get ahold of the city to register for classes and that I can not under any circumstances take any payment for classes, they have to go through the city. A few actually reply back trying to get me to do the money thing for them. I have a second reply for them that mentions the city, city government offices and so on as many times as I can fit in. It also tells them if they want to wait until they arrive to register they can do so at the main offices...in city hall right next to the courthouse. They usually don't try back after that. I wonder why? ..l;,

Originally Posted by Viv

A few actually reply back trying to get me to do the money thing for them. I have a second reply for them that mentions the city, city government offices and so on as many times as I can fit in. It also tells them if they want to wait until they arrive to register they can do so at the main offices...in city hall right next to the courthouse. They usually don't try back after that. I wonder why? ..l;,

LOL..l;,..l;,..l;,

Yeah get used to these, you will get more in the future. I just delete them and don't give them another thought.

I'm feeling just a bit left out -- John didn't email me . . .

Somebody else did a couple of weeks ago, tho, so maybe I shouldn't feel so bad . . .



Deborah

Even though someone posted the link to the thread where I posted this, I feel strongly enough to send out the warning about this scam that I'm posting this again:

It's a total scam that has been around for awhile. This is the way it works:

They send you an advanced payment right before the daughter or son is scheduled to fly. Then they tell you that they sent you to much money and please wire the money ASAP so child can get plane ticket. The check they send you looks real. Then banks can't tell by looking at it that it is not. So the bank cashes the check, you put the money in your bank account, then wire the extra money from your own funds!

It will take the bank a week or two to clear the check and for you to find out that it is all a scam and your out thousands of dollars. The banks do hold you responsible.

Sometimes the scam is obvious as the spelling and grammer will be very poor. In my case the guy emailed for almost 2months to build a relationship. After a while I started to get suspicious when I didn't get answers to some very pertinent questions about the daughter. I had the guy send me a check and took it to a bank. The told me there was no way they could tell if it was real or not unless I deposited and let it clear. I then took it to the police who connected it to a bank in MN and to an account that had been flagged for being connected to the Nigerian scam.

Then the guy had the audacity to ask me where the money was. I told him I never received the check and to send me another one. Never heard back from him but I still get all kinds of versions of the same scam.

This scam comes in vary many disguises but the basic premise is the same.

Originally Posted by Najida

PS,
I teach pole dancing---- ---
I guess you could turn the communion rail on it's side if this is for a church event.

Omg, I durn near wet my hipscarf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

..l;,