# FRAUD ALERT: Large Sales Order Paid with Credit Card



## mmh (Mar 17, 2008)

This is for all of you who sell your work and may have a website. I previously posted a similar warning http://lumberjocks.com/topics/9795 when I received a large order via e-mail for one of my canes. I thought it odd since I do custom, one-of-a-kind work to have someone request a large order of one style.

The short of this story is that the inquirer will make a quick inquiry (usually full of bad punctuation and spelling) and request if a credit card can be used for payment. They will insist that this is the method they can pay or will cancel the order. If you do accept the transaction and use the CC (legitimacy unknown), then they receive the goods and dispute the order. You have sent the merchandise and the CC company takes back the money. A no win situation for you, the vendor.

I was informed by a lumber company that they ocassionally get these inquiries and when they demand payment via Cashier's Check, they usually never hear from them again.

I have just received another similar inquiry to this one and informed the person that I can only take a Cashier's Check for a large order. He is insisting that he is on travel and must use his CC or cancel the order. Apparently he is using scare tactics to get me to play this game.

I have requested his company name and Federal Tax ID # which he has yet to disclose. He sent me a phone number but it is unlisted.

I will keep you updated.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

It's good to be cautious Millie


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## ChunkyC (Jun 28, 2009)

There is a similar scam with Cashier's Cheques. They send you a bogus Cashier's Cheque for more than the agreed amount. They then just ask you to send them a cheque for the difference.

It's not to hard to spot the scam. Again, usually a lot of bad grammar, spelling, maybe address you by the wrong name, etc. and they really don't care much about what your selling, just that you get them the refund. If someone insists on sending you a cashier's Cheque, "be skeptical!"


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## RjGall (Jun 16, 2008)

Thanks for posting these scams Millie It sure helps me keep my radar up! You might just save someone ALOT of aggravation.


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## brianhavens (Nov 23, 2009)

Thanks for the heads up.


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## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

Speaking of checks and scams…A while back a fellow blew into LA and opened a wholesale petroleum company. He went to all the oil refinerys and bought truckloads of product from them. Always paid with a cashiers check. No problem. After everyone got used to his cashiers checks, he hit every one he could, sold the product and got on a plane and disapeared with millions.
It seems he opened his own bank in the Caymne Islands and printed his own checks. He kept enough money in his bank to cover his checks and got everyone blaise. Then he struck.

Out here in the dessert, we have regular rural mailboxes. We get hit regularly by these ID thieves. We have to watch for the mail and pick it up as soon as possible. And do you think the USPS cares?


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## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

Make the buyers use Pay Pal. If PP will accept their account (credit card) you should be covered.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

I would prefer postal money orders over cashier's checks.

We have mail theft constantly. I caught one guy in the act and got the lic number. Have never seen that car again. We use a PO Box, end of problem.

Every week or 2, I am getting emails telling me I have to activate my bank and CC accounts. Once in a while they wil be for companies I don't do business with  If they are ligit, they will email that I need to log on to the bank or CC site to get their message.


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## mmh (Mar 17, 2008)

It's just amazing how these people have no concience on taking others money and the energy the use to plot these schemes.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

I saw a news show a few months ago, maybe Dateline or 60 minutes, telilng how the Rusians hold young hackers in high esteem and treat them as heros if they can steal American's money!


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

There are thousands of frauds and cons out there. I investigated a lot of them. 
One of the hardest to catch was the guys who rented a house from a private party then turned around placed a new add in the paper and re-rented it to a bunch of other people before leaving the area. Can you imagine a couple of dozen moving vans pulling up to a house on the same day with the people thinking they were moving in. (-;
Beware, even cashier's checks and money orders are being counterfeited and there is no recourse if you accept one. 
I had another case involving cashier's checks the "perps" were contacting people who were privately selling there high end vehicles, Jaguars, Mercedes, etc. If the seller had clear title the perps would get their personal info from the car's registration slip under guise of checking the title and getting a cashier's check made out for the purchase. They later returned with a counterfeit cashiers check and "buy" the car. In the mean time they also prepared a counterfeit ID made out in the car owners name but with the perps picture on it. They used the false ID and victim's signed ownership certificate to immediately resell the car to a used car dealer. They were operating all up and down the state of Calif. at the time I arrested part of their group but only after a guy in my county got suspicious and called in. When I got a search warrant for their hotel room they had a stack of counterfeit checks, a check writing machine, and other IDs they had used or were preparing to use.
Remember:
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you!


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