Gutsy Email Scammer (Warning)

[Andrew Lenz Jr.]

I received this email message today and warning bells went off:

"Hello Andrew, I am emailing to know the price of each black wooden Picture Frame Size: 8" x 10" with MDF backing excluding anything else. They will be hung and I want to the price of each to enable me understand how much I can afford at this moment. I await your response to proceed. Stay blessed.

Regards
Pastor Mike"


Now, figuring there was a slim possibility that it was indeed legitimate, I emailed back asking about quantity and whether he or someone else would be picking them up. (If it was being shipped, no way.)

HE CALLED ME. SEVERAL TIMES. (I was out for lunch.) He wanted to make sure that I received his reply email message. He had a Nigerian accent and the line had overseas background noise. He told me that his shipping company would pick up the 200 frames he wanted.

I very kindly told him that we had a policy of not shipping frames. He didn't give up . . . but neither did I. He hung up on me after I told him that "it's not for us."

These scams aren't new, but to have the guy actually CALL is a new one for me and may be worth a warning to your staff who may not know better.

Andrew

 

[Gregory K. Norris CPF]

Thanks for the warning, Andrew. I guess we shouldn't be too surprised at this since there are so many inexpensive ways to make international calls these days. And for a few bucks, they can make the caller ID show anything they would like.

 

[Mike Labbe]

There seems to be a rise in this again, lately. We received several in the past week.

 

[Ormond Williams MCPF]

I get those emails from time to time and I regard them as a form of entertainment.

I reply with one question each time to give them the impression that I have been sucked in. They reply, but rarely answer the question, because they know nothing about frames or framing. My intention is to baffle them and I always succeed. After around five responses from me, they stop answering! Funny about that!