Received this weird email inquiry on lessons...

[orlandopiano]

I received this weird email earlier this month from a prospective student's parent. It didn't appear as fraudulent as the counterfeit money order one mentioned in another thread, but it was still borderline fraudulent to me. Mentions a cashier check.  Also, I live three thousand miles away.  I will copy/paste what he wrote:
-----------

Gooday,
    I will like to hire your services to be my 15 years old son Music Instuctor for a period of 2 weeks commencing from July 28th,2005 and i want you to get back to me with the following information as soon as possible:
 
YOUR TOTAL CHARGES FOR 2 WEEKS {7 Hours daily}:
YOUR FULL NAMES:
YOUR COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESS:
YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER:
 
   I will have a Cashiers Check made out to your information for the payment of your charges as soon as i read from you with the above required information.Should you be out of Sacramento,California,i will make adequate arrangements for you to be a live-in instructor at out home,just notify me in your email if you are out of California.
Waiting to read from you soon.
 
Mr Edward Johnson.

[Astyron]

That's a fraud.  Don't give out your address and phone number.    I would email back and ask who referred you to them, what experience their son has, and just a bunch of really general questions to figure out if it's legit.

[Barbosa-piano]

That's a fraud. Don't give out your address and phone number. I would email back and ask who referred you to them, what experience their son has, and just a bunch of really general questions to figure out if it's legit.

Yes, this is a pretty weird e-mail message...
It sounds a little desperate...
Be careful, do not let them fool you.

[bernhard]

Besides Astyron good advice, I would add:

Send them a copy of your policy stating that under no circumstances the money they send you will be refunded (and take the opportunity to ask a ridiculous fee). Also say that you do not teach outside your home.

Do not provide any further details (like bank account number etc.) and say that you will be happy to be sent a postal order.

Say that you can only accept new students after an interview.

If they are for real  they will comply.

Also have a look here:


https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,10985.0.html

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[possom]

I have had 3 of these in the last few months, all from people who say they are in America and coming to the UK to stay for a year. I have ignored all of them. It was when they asked how to pay that set the alarm bells ringing.

[Astyron]

Three?  That's weird.  The number one thing that keeps popping into my head, if it's legit, is -- how do they get your email information?  Who referred you to them?   It just sound so off.  Best of luck though.  If the English used to write the email seems a little bit odd or unconventional that's a tipoff too.  Bad grammar skills aside, there's tons of scammers from Nigeria and you can always pick them out because of the funky language usage.

[Kassaa]

It's spam/scam, just like those messages that you will receive 2000000000000000$ from the son of the dead president of Sudan or something.

[jeremyjchilds]

Wow...

[lostinidlewonder]

Why dont you reply with a crazy response.
YOUR TOTAL CHARGES FOR 2 WEEKS {7 Hours daily}: $12,890.50 US
YOUR FULL NAMES: If you dont know who I am why do you ask for me to teach you?
YOUR COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESS: Only one of them.
YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER: I have 4.

[pianoannie]

Don't even reply to this!!!   MTNA sent out warnings about these scams to its members.   Somehow I've managed to avoid getting any of these emails, but if I did, I wouldn't even respond for fear of inviting more such garbage.

[rachael31]

Hi all,  must have received about 5 of these and variations of the same over the past 5 months. The are the african scammers and in no way legit. I actually had one xcrowd stating they were buying their 12 yr old son who had never learnt music in any way shape of form a piano for 'his parsonal on use'... note the dodgy use of the queens english!!! They get email addresses from mailing lists. I am advertised as a teacher on 2 or 3 different websites and can only presume they go in there. Most important of all.. try and ignore anything qwith an odd name that pops up in your in box..

[BoliverAllmon]

man my teaching methods must of scared them off. (my crappy methods) I have never gotten one of these emails. LOL

[allthumbs]

Greetings

Never , EVER reply to unsolicited email. A reply only serves to confirm that the spammer has reached a valid email address from the spammers lists that get forwarded around. Once you reply, expect the spam to come deluging in.

Also, I wouldn't expect that a parent would use that method obtaining the services of a teacher, if they were legitimate.

Cheers

allthumbs

[graeme78]

Here is one I received on October 12.   Unfortunetly I replied with all the information she was looking for before I heard about this scam, so I'll be curious to know if she's going to send me the bad check.

-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Tonner [mailto:linda_tonner@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2005 11:17 AM
To: (removed)
Subject: Piano Lesson...

Hello ,
     I am Ms Linda Tonner,.I contact you on Piano Lesson.Well my Daughter (Serah) is coming to stay with her freind for some couple of weeks in the Canada and she loves music. i want you to help me teaching her (Piano).
So Note: my Daughter Serah is just a beginner, so please kindly teach her well. Also kindly let me know your charges cost per week's ,inorder for me to arrange for her payment before she travells down to your side. i have even made preparation for her personal (Piano) she will be using privately at home after class practise.
Please Advise back on
1. How many week will she use...
2. Weekly charge's and payment method ( Let me know if you will accept bank check )
I look up to your reply regarding that.
Best regards
Ms. Linda Tonner.

[bernhard]

Interesting grammar...

Yes, please do let us know what happens next!

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[graeme78]

Here's the latest reply... have yet to receive the "payment".  Looks like she is kind enough to trust me to handle her "excess fund". HA!

-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Tonner [mailto:linda_tonner@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2005 5:14 PM
To: (removed)
Subject: PAYMENT........


Thanks for the response with your details and the cost of the lesson. I have forwared your details for the payment. according to the associate that will send you the check for the payment, he made me know you will receive the payment shortly. He extended further that the payment that will be sent to you will include an excess fund, the excess fund is meant for the daughter expenses (travel expenses, accomodation and other expenses) Hope you will be kind enough to forward the fund the Ticketing Agent in Canada? I look up to hear from you asap...

Thanks!

[allthumbs]

Interesting...

Once you have received her check and before her check has cleared the banks, she will e-mail you cancelling the lessons and she will tell you to keep the cost of the lessons for your trouble, just send her a refund of the extra expenses she sent for travel, accomodation etc .

Of course the check she sent you would be bogus, but the refund you sent her wouldn't be.  Nice little profit, don't you think?


Cheers

allthumbs

[mound]

yup. I'm quite certain allthumbs is exactly right on this one.

[darrington]

I have seen this scam before - a variation on the theme:



https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic2/256821/0#2129671

[vladhorwz]

I had the exact scam when I sold my car, the guy wrote the same and wanted to pay me 7K above cost to give to his "agent", he called me from a foreign number and was obviously African, I told him I was not interested any longer and he never bothered me again.

[keyofc]

It is tempting to email back witty comments, but with every response they are just collecting more information.

[stevehopwood]

It is best never to reply to these scam attempts.

I always report them. There email addresses are nearly always yahoo or hotmail, so I forward the emails to abuse@yahoo.com and abuse@hotmail.com. Both organisations claim to take action against scammers.

Forward all of them to scams@fraudwatchinternational.com. These people are also trying their best to protect the rest of us.

Steve