Steve Slatin on wed 12 mar 08
Susan --
If you are suspicious, there's probably a
problem.
If your buyer is legitimate, you can
suggest using an international shipper --
you provide the info for them to design
the shipment they like. International
shippers charge, but they also provide
customs service, etc.
Serious buyers will pay -- scammers
won't even spring for a long-distance
telephone call. Has she called yet
to discuss the issue, or is it all
coming in the form of e-mail from
a 'free' account?
Nigerian (and other) scammers long
ago started using non-Nigerian addresses,
to eliminate one reason for doubting them.
The last Nigerian scammer who wrote
to me had a British address and a Danish
e-mail account. They still wanted me to
call them at a country-code 234 number,
though.
-- Steve Slatin
Susan Fox Hirschmann wrote:
Dear Clay buds,
I have lately been contacted, over the past couple of weeks, by a woman from
Australia for a very large order. I have written her a quote as well as a
guestimate of packing, pallets, air or ocean freight, etc.customs and other
charges.... and don't want to spend any more time on this than I have. She has
been writing to me now back and forth, for almost 3 weeks.
It has me VERY suspicious and I was wondering if any of you have had this
experience.
---------------------------------
Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.
Susan Fox Hirschmann on wed 12 mar 08
Dear Clay buds,
I have lately been contacted, over the past couple of weeks, by a woman from
Australia for a very large order. I have written her a quote as well as a
guestimate of packing, pallets, air or ocean freight, etc.customs and other
charges.... and don't want to spend any more time on this than I have. She has
been writing to me now back and forth, for almost 3 weeks.
It has me VERY suspicious and I was wondering if any of you have had this
experience.
Please email me off list, or on this list...whatever....with whatever info
you might have for me. The Nigerian thing...well, I KNOW BETTER! but this is a
bit different?
Thanks!
Sincerely,
Susan Fox Hirschmann
Annandale,VA
**************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money &
Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001)
Arnold Howard on thu 13 mar 08
From: "Susan Fox Hirschmann"
> It has me VERY suspicious and I was wondering if any of
> you have had this
> experience.
I would be very cautious. The scam artists are getting
better and occasionally even succeed in stealing from
corporations.
There is good news, though: Internet scam is down. But
telephone scams are on the rise.
We are all getting good at detecting scams, because we see
so many in our email. We are learning what it feels like to
be confronted by a sociopath, even if it's just through
email. This sharpened instinct can help us to detect a
telephone scam or even a criminal that we meet face to face.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
Tom at Hutchtel.net on thu 13 mar 08
Susan,
When dealing in overseas things like this, you should receive an
'irrevocable letter of credit' BEFORE you ship. if they don't know what
this is or refuse to do it, they are not in the import business. This one
does sound like a scam. Especially if they ultimately ask for your bank
account to 'deposit' money. Which will probably be their ultimate goal.
Tom Wirt
Subject: Australia scam?
> Dear Clay buds,
>
> I have lately been contacted, over the past couple of weeks, by a woman
> from
> Australia for a very large order. I have written her a quote as well as a
> guestimate of packing, pallets, air or ocean freight, etc.customs and
> other
> charges.... and don't want to spend any more time on this than I have.
> She has
> been writing to me now back and forth, for almost 3 weeks.
>
Doug Trott on thu 13 mar 08
And the scam is when you receive a check for more than the sales amount...a=
nd then you're asked to forward the difference. When you receive a check, =
even if certfied/cashiers' etc., you need to let it clear. Be wary if the =
customer hurries you to send the shipment.
Doug
> Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 22:04:10 -0700
> From: claystevslat@YAHOO.COM
> Subject: Re: Australia scam?
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>=20
> Susan --
>=20
> If you are suspicious, there's probably a
> problem.
>=20
> If your buyer is legitimate, you can
> suggest using an international shipper --
> you provide the info for them to design
> the shipment they like. International
> shippers charge, but they also provide
> customs service, etc.
>=20
> Serious buyers will pay -- scammers
> won't even spring for a long-distance
> telephone call. Has she called yet
> to discuss the issue, or is it all
> coming in the form of e-mail from
> a 'free' account?
>=20
> Nigerian (and other) scammers long
> ago started using non-Nigerian addresses,
> to eliminate one reason for doubting them.
>=20
> The last Nigerian scammer who wrote
> to me had a British address and a Danish
> e-mail account. They still wanted me to
> call them at a country-code 234 number,
> though.
>=20
> -- Steve Slatin
>=20
>=20
>=20
> Susan Fox Hirschmann wrote:
> Dear Clay buds,
>=20
> I have lately been contacted, over the past couple of weeks, by a woman f=
rom
> Australia for a very large order. I have written her a quote as well as a
> guestimate of packing, pallets, air or ocean freight, etc.customs and oth=
er
> charges.... and don't want to spend any more time on this than I have. Sh=
e has
> been writing to me now back and forth, for almost 3 weeks.
>=20
> It has me VERY suspicious and I was wondering if any of you have had this
> experience.
>=20
> ---------------------------------
> Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Searc=
h.
>=20
> _________________________________________________________________________=
_____
> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>=20
> You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your
> subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here: http://www.ace=
rs.org/cic/clayart/
>=20
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots2@visi=
.com
Susan Fox Hirschmann on thu 13 mar 08
In a message dated 3/13/2008 8:36:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
twirt@HUTCHTEL.NET writes:
Susan,
When dealing in overseas things like this, you should receive an
'irrevocable letter of credit' BEFORE you ship. if they don't know what
this is or refuse to do it, they are not in the import business. This one
does sound like a scam. Especially if they ultimately ask for your bank
account to 'deposit' money. Which will probably be their ultimate goal.
Thanks for that. They , or anyone else for that matter will never get my bank
acct no. Besides she offered to give me a charge card.
We;ll see how this all pans out.
Thanks for telling me about that irrevocable letter of credit.....tho I
require prepayemet before even starting the order. My own modus operandi.
Susan
**************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money &
Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001)
Helaine Melvin on thu 13 mar 08
I have gone on and off of Clayart for many years this last time for two =
years. So I may be fuzzy on this but it seems to me someone a few =
years ago had the same problem. There might be something in the =
archives. But, I believe the Rosen Group or whatever they are called - =
Wendy Rosen Shows, headquartered in Baltimore - is very active in =
routing out (rooting, rutting, uncovering) scams on craftspeople. =
Wendy's shows are strictly wholesale and surely someone has heard of =
something fishy in Australia if it is a scam. =20
I wish you luck with this. I almost made the trip to Pittsburgh but durn =
it, life gets in the way sometimes.
Have fun all of you going!
Helaine Melvin
LALAland, CA
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Susan Fox Hirschmann=20
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG=20
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 5:48 AM
Subject: Australia scam?
Dear Clay buds,
I have lately been contacted, over the past couple of weeks, by a =
woman from
Australia for a very large order. I have written her a quote as well =
as a
guestimate of packing, pallets, air or ocean freight, etc.customs and =
other
charges.... and don't want to spend any more time on this than I have. =
She has
been writing to me now back and forth, for almost 3 weeks.
It has me VERY suspicious and I was wondering if any of you have had =
this
experience.
Please email me off list, or on this list...whatever....with whatever =
info
you might have for me. The Nigerian thing...well, I KNOW BETTER! but =
this is a
bit different?
Thanks!
Sincerely,
Susan Fox Hirschmann
Annandale,VA
**************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money =
&
Finance. =
(http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=3Daolprf00030000000001m/tax?NCID=3Daolprf00030000000001>)
=
_________________________________________________________________________=
_____
Clayart members may send postings to: =
clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your
subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here: =
http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at =
melpots2@visi.com
John Rodgers on fri 14 mar 08
Susan,
Visit the website for the EXIM BANK -- the Export-Import Bank of the
United States Government. It has a huge amount of info about the do's
and don't of doing business internationally. The Website is:
http://www.exim.gov/
Good luck.
John Rodgers
Chelsea, AL
Susan Fox Hirschmann wrote:
> In a message dated 3/13/2008 8:36:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> twirt@HUTCHTEL.NET writes:
>
> Susan,
> When dealing in overseas things like this, you should receive an
> 'irrevocable letter of credit' BEFORE you ship. if they don't know what
> this is or refuse to do it, they are not in the import business. This one
> does sound like a scam. Especially if they ultimately ask for your bank
> account to 'deposit' money. Which will probably be their ultimate goal.
>
> Thanks for that. They , or anyone else for that matter will never get my bank
> acct no. Besides she offered to give me a charge card.
> We;ll see how this all pans out.
> Thanks for telling me about that irrevocable letter of credit.....tho I
> require prepayemet before even starting the order. My own modus operandi.
> Susan
>
>
>
> **************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money &
> Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001)
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your
> subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots2@visi.com
>
>
>
Jeannean Hibbitts on fri 14 mar 08
Susan writes:
Thanks for that. They , or anyone else for that matter will never get my =
bank
acct no. Besides she offered to give me a charge card.
My recollection of past Clayart discussions is that the buyer using a =
credit card can have the charge reversed if there's a problem with the =
purchase. So she could conceivably pay for the shipment by credit card, =
you could ship it, she could receive it, and then contact her credit =
card company and say there was a problem and please credit her account, =
at which time they would debit your account. However, I have no personal =
experience with this. But maybe someone else here on Clayart has?
Jeannean Hibbitts
Spider Hole Pottery
..in soggy Astoria, Oregon, where daffodils growing wild by the side of =
the road are beginning to bloom...
Snail Scott on fri 14 mar 08
> Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:48:40 EDT
> From: Susan Fox Hirschmann
> ...I have lately been contacted, over the past couple of weeks, by a
> woman from
> Australia for a very large order...It has me VERY suspicious...
Rightly so. There is a widespread scam being run
from many addresses, in which someone wants to
buy large quantities of an artist's work and wants it
shipped to a foreign country. The point at which it
becomes a scam is when the buyer sends a cashier's
check for more than the needed amount, and asks
the helpful artist to refund the extra, or use it to buy
some items they've needed from the artist's country
and include them in the shipment. This is what they
want - the 'extra' refunded to them, which will be
free money because the cashier's check will turn
out to be rubber after everything has been sent -
hence the unusually tight timetable on these scams.
It's an elaborate-seeming con, but only because
the artists has to do a whole bunch of work, and still
gets ripped off. The 'buyer' only has to write a few
e-mails.
These buyers couldn't give a crap about your art.
and they will probably dumpster it when they get it.
They've simply discovered that many artists are
usually desperate and/or nice enough to do things
that most small businesspeople wouldn't touch with
a bargepole. Ironically, it's often the more successful
artists such as yourself that get taken by this, since
they are more likely to expect (and receive) large
orders from strangers, to have extensive inventory
available, and to be able to handle the demands of
foreign shipping.
Your buyer might be on the up-and-up, but you are
quite right to be wary. Send _nothing_ until payment
had cleared not only your bank but also the issuing
bank in the buyer's country, too. Do not give in to
time pressure under any circumstances.
-Snail
David Berg on fri 14 mar 08
You have to be very cautious & make certain that it is legitimate
business with which you are dealing. One can still loose money
even if it appears that the check has cleared because if the check
eventually does bounce, you are going to be responsible for the
full amount not the bank who said it cleared OK.
David
David Berg
dberg2@comcast.net
http://bergstoneware.com/
On Mar 13, 2008, at 1:30 PM, Doug Trott wrote:
> And the scam is when you receive a check for more than the sales
> amount...and then you're asked to forward the difference. When you
> receive a check, even if certfied/cashiers' etc., you need to let it
> clear. Be wary if the customer hurries you to send the shipment.
>
> Doug
>
>>
Susan Fox Hirschmann on fri 14 mar 08
In a message dated 3/14/2008 9:23:13 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
dberg2@COMCAST.NET writes:
You have to be very cautious & make certain that it is legitimate
business with which you are dealing. One can still loose money
even if it appears that the check has cleared because if the check
eventually does bounce, you are going to be responsible for the
full amount not the bank who said it cleared OK.
David
**************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money &
Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001)
Susan Fox Hirschmann on fri 14 mar 08
In a message dated 3/14/2008 9:23:13 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
dberg2@COMCAST.NET writes:
You have to be very cautious & make certain that it is legitimate
business with which you are dealing. One can still loose money
even if it appears that the check has cleared because if the check
eventually does bounce, you are going to be responsible for the
full amount not the bank who said it cleared OK.
David
Actually I told them I would only take a charge card...think she went away
when I told her 50% would be charged BEFORE I start the order and the balance,
including any shipping/customs and all other charges would be charged before
shipping.
I would never take a check.
Thanks for your resonse!
Susan
**************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money &
Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001)
| |
|
