I've gotten several e-mails recently that are a new scam targeting music teachers. The sender claims to have kids coming here on vacation (in one case, it's a 'pastor' with students in a church-sponsored tour). The sender wants me to give an outrageous number of private lessons during their stay - the one I got today requests 4 hours of semi-private instruction, 6 days a week, for four weeks.
Today's reads in part:
The payment for the particular classes will be via cashier's check in
the amount of $8,000.When you receive the check,cash it and deduct your
amount for tuition for both kids and send the remaining amount to my personal assistant less the transfer charges. If your price is $30/hr,then I need you to deduct the amount for 1 month(4hrs/day excluding sundays) of tutorials.This should be in excess of $3,000 but I need you to do the
calculations and let me know the exact amount so that I can know what
amount will be left for you to send to my personal assistant after cashing the check
The e-mail then goes on to ask for my specific pricing, address, phone... and the name I want the check made out to!
So here's a check that hasn't been written yet. But instead of making it out for whatever amount I quote, he wants to write it out for more.... so I can deposit it and transfer the 'remaining amount' to somebody else. When the foreign cashier's check turns out to be a forgery some weeks later, I'd be scammed out of that 'remaining amount'.
When you think about it, it's ridiculous - I can deduct transfer fees (my bank would charge about $25 for a wire transfer)... so why wouldn't he just pony up a couple dollars for a second cashier's check to the assistant?
Don't fall for it. If you get one of these e-mails, consider forwarding it to the appropriate authorities.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
That's the exact same scam that they were pulling with cafepress stores a while back. They would ask for bulk discounts and say something about not buying on the internet, send you a check for some amount over what was quoted, then when you sent the refunded money, you'd find out it was a forgery.
Sucks that people cant just be honest.
Our songs also have the standard pop format: Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, bad solo. All in all, I think we sound like The Knack and the Bay City Rollers being molested by Black Flag and Black Sabbath.
Kurt Cobain
I get that every once in a while with book sales - somebody orders $40 worth of books and sends a money order for $80 (and it's almost always a money order for some reason, probably so it clears right away). I figure that's an attempt to get me to send a business check for the overpayment with the book.... so they can then either change the amount, or just get my checking account numbers.
Instead, I send them the order with a nice letter acknowledging the overpayment, and since they had sent no instructions on what to do with it, I'm assuming they wanted the books right away. Then I'll figure out a shipping method (express, registered, insured, whatever) that comes to about the amount of the overpayment, and send it that way.
It sucks that you have to be so suspicious these days, though.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
The problem with that is that some money orders can also be forged. If they are, you end up being out the money for the books and shipping.
What they're wanting is for you to send them money so that they're out nothing, and get some cash for free.
Our songs also have the standard pop format: Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, bad solo. All in all, I think we sound like The Knack and the Bay City Rollers being molested by Black Flag and Black Sabbath.
Kurt Cobain
yes a very big scam!! my sis in-law is currently on 2yrs Probation for doing this same dumb stuff!!! not music teaching but some stupid stuff her and a guy were doing. sounds too good!!!!
I'm so new to this!
I have gotten a similar email, different format, about 4 times in the last month.
The gist of this one is someone died and they want to send me money, I keep a share and send the rest to their assistant.
Very common scam.
Classic Nigerian Scam variation....the other is government money in that format.
I've had to see all of these being a Sys Admin. My users sometimes get the dumbest email, then bring me over to ask me if I think something like that is OK. I finally had to send out a memo telling them not to send anyone money or give out a bank account number or anything else to someone just because they sent you an email.
Our songs also have the standard pop format: Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, bad solo. All in all, I think we sound like The Knack and the Bay City Rollers being molested by Black Flag and Black Sabbath.
Kurt Cobain
What fun - I just got another one of these scam e-mails. This one dressed it up with all sorts of details... including the address where the 'child' would be staying, and an offer to send me airline tickets and make accomodations.
I've written back to this one. The address is a 30 minute drive from me - no idea why I'd need airfare - but so close I've offered to head on over and pick up the check. I'll let you know what happens :)
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
This might be a good one to send to the local autorities as the address is close to you.
John M
Oh, I didn't think it was really local - and the reply confirms it:
Thanks for the email you sent and i so much appreciate it and that justifies that you are really bent and dedicated in doing business and i need to mail you a check before i travel to africa.
I can just see it now... couldn't get the the mailbox before going to the airport, so the check will come from Nigeria... made the check out for too much money (there was no mention in this one of sending 'extra' money anywhere)... etc.
Believe it or not, the authorities aren't especially interested - I haven't lost any money, so no crime has been committed. I'm not about to lose money so that a crime can take place, but maybe I'll play with this one for a while and waste their time (and perhaps even money!)
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Perhaps I'm missing something, but why don't you just pay the cheque in and wait for it to clear? Whether it does or it doesn't, you can dangle him a while longer.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
Greybeard's Pages
My Articles & Reviews on GN
My bank would charge me a fee for a bounced deposit - so it would cost me money. If it gets to the point of me receiving a check, I figure the authorities might take more interest, since there'd also be something more than a yahoo e-mail address to track down.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
I can just see it now... couldn't get the the mailbox before going to the airport, so the check will come from Nigeria
The best of the scams come from Nigeria. They even do it to each other on the street there.
Our songs also have the standard pop format: Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, bad solo. All in all, I think we sound like The Knack and the Bay City Rollers being molested by Black Flag and Black Sabbath.
Kurt Cobain
That is cool. I like the idea of wasting their time and leading them on. Returing the favor, but I would probably drop the discussion as I would not want a bunch being vendictive going after me on the web.
John M
I don't think you can discourage these folks by playing their game and hassling them. It's like the fantasy of countersuing a lawyer. You're playing on his turf. This is a way of life over there.
Here's a recent MSNBC article on some of the recent scams: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8171053/
Yesterday I saw an article on the scammers themselves, but can't recall where I saw it.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
