Attn: Guides - lastest scam attempt

[George Welcome]

It seems the scammers have lowered their expectations and are now going for the local business - I was suspicious right from the beginning and sure enough this mornings e-mail confirmed it.

From: Bob Wilson []
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 8:53 PM
To: George Welcome
Subject: RE: Fishing Charter Service

Hello George,
Thanks for the reply.The total amount will be sent to you first thing in the morning but I want you to be aware that I will be including my travelling agents fee alongside yours when mailing payment to you,you you gotta do is send him is own fee when you get the payment so that he can facilitate our travelling plans to your place(air ticket,accommodation,car hire etc).

Kindly get back to me with your name and address as it should be written on payment.Like I said in my previous email,this is my first time of taking my family on a fishing trip and I want it to be a memorable one for us.

Regards,
Bob Wilson

George Welcome <> wrote:
Bob,

For payment by check the total amount is due. That amount for two days is $700. The reservation as I understand is for the 27th and 28th of April. Please call to set up the reservation. The dates are not reserved until I have the check.

THE FOLLOWING METHODS OF PAYMENT WILL BE ACCEPTED:
Credit Cards: Visa; MasterCard; Discover - We will accept payment by credit card in advance of a trip - minimum 30 days in advance - NO! credit card payments will be accepted at the ramp!
Personal or other checks: We will only accept a personal check for payment of services: Check must be received a minimum of 45 days prior to a trip! All checks are to be made out to:  GEORGE WELCOME
The only form of payment that is acceptable at the ramp is CASH!
Deposit: 100.00 per boat per day
Refund: For cancellation 45 day minimum notification except in the case of emergency.
George

George & Scott
Imagination Bassin Guide Services
32 Bimini Cir
Sebastian, FL 32958
772 532-7440

________________________________________
From: Bob Wilson []
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 10:00 AM
To: George Welcome
Subject: RE: Fishing Charter Service

Hello George,
Thanks for the reply.We will book for the full day charter.Like I said in my previosu email,this is my first time of taking my family on a fishing trip and I want it to be a memorable one for us.Kindly get back to me with the total amount payable as deposit.My mode os payment will be a certified cashiers check.Hoping to read from you soonest.

Regards,
Bob Wilson

George Welcome <> wrote:
Bob

Presently those dates are available. A full day rate, (8-hours), is $350.00. A ½ day rate, (4-hours), is $275.00. I don't have a 6-hour rate, but it would be the same as a full day. Thank you for your inquiry. If we can be of assistance for you we would be more than glad to.

George

George & Scott
Imagination Bassin Guide Services
32 Bimini Cir
Sebastian, FL 32958
772 532-7440

________________________________________
From: Bob Wilson []
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 9:42 PM
To:
Subject: Fishing Charter Service

Hello Sir/Ma,

Am Bob Wilson from Canada,I and my family(wife and son)will love to book for a fishing charter trip of 6 hrs/halfday for 2 days starting from the 27th-28th of April.Kindly get back to me with your rates so that we can proceed.This is my first time of taking my family on a fishing trip and I want it to be a memorable trip for them.Hoping to read from you soonest.

Regards,
Bob Wilson
 
________________________________________

[mlakrid]

George when posting in forums, it is always a smart Idea to remove the link for your email address from your postings...

The reason is simple...

Web crawlers pick up the email addresses and then they begin the immediate bombardment of your email with TONS of junk mail...

thin you got alot before...

just wait to see what you get if you leave your email address without placing a space in the email address...

example my email which is not a secret is my login name mlakrid @ yahoo.com

the spaces shown above is enough for your email address not to be picked up on...

I just thought you and others might benefit from this information.

Sincerely,

Mike A!
Land O Lakes, FL

P.S. if you know this was a scam, report it to your local consumer protection division of local or state police... and THEN add his email to every gay porn site you can find     

[OutdoorFrontiers]

Someone attempted to run the same scam on me last year, wanting a seven day guide job for he and his wife as well as booking a good hotel room for them.  He claimed to be from Scotland, visiting the U.S. for a month.  I was suspicious when I told him the daily rate x 7 and he didn't attempt to bargain for a reduced multi-day rate.  Everyone else that I've guided for multiple days has done that and I certainly expected it from a "thrifty Scot."  Then, a couple weeks later, he said he was going to have to cut the trip short but the check had been already sent.  Yet the check he sent was drawn on a personal account in Des Moines and he wanted me to cash the check keep three days worth of guiding and send the rest (4 days guiding + hotel costs) to a guy in Spain! 

That sounded "fishy" to me and I didn't cash the check, instead I sent an email stating that due to my heart attack, I'd be unable to take them fishing and where could I return the check or should I simply tear it up?

One Sunday morning about 4:30 a.m., the phone rang.  It was the guy that supposedly booked the job wanting to know if I cashed the check.  Amazingly he sounded Jamaican, not Scottish and sounded really upset with me when I told him I wasn't going to cash it.  He didn't care that I was backing out of the guide job, didn't care that I had a heart attack, just kept asking/demanding that I cash the check and forward the money.  At that point I knew it was a scam.

I took all the emails (I kept them all) to my friends at the cop shop, along with the check.  They confirmed the Des Moines bank account was being systematically raided by an identity/computer thief.  I talked to the guy in Des Moines and he found out that twelve checks had been written to different guides across the country, and all but a guy in Minnesota and me cashed the checks.

I guess the old saying "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" really is true.  But it hurt to shred a $2,925.00 check! 

Steve

[Swede]

And where there is a thief with a will and a way - $$ will be siphoned off those who need the $$ more.    Keep your hands on your wallet guys.

[Nickk]

he should write back that he will send him a check for $5000.00 more than the balance and that he may keep $1000.00 of it and that his guide business is just something fun to do while he and his royal Nigerian family move about the world.