December 9, 2011
Scammers Have a New Craft: Targeting Photographers
We all get scams through email occasionally, or through websites and apps that we use. Scams that photographers receive are a little different though, and they are becoming more prevalent. The last scam I received was a few months ago through WeddingWire.com where I have an account. Many photographers received the same message and still are today as you can see by the last response on this Facebook note.
Today I received an email which at first I thought was real from the subject, but it’s another scam. This time it got a lot more personal as it arrived to my email address directly. It actually makes you feel vulnerable having your name out there, since this person actually went to the trouble of emailing me personally. For people who do not realize that it’s fake, and do not see how scammy their email address is, this could turn into a problem. The key part of this email is “so that i will book ahead before coming” which would arrange a way to get money from you. What a punk.
Hello,
Good day to you.I and my wife with 2kids will be on holiday trip to your city on the 22nd of January and i will like to know more info about your service and sessions.
Kindly let me know your charges and details if you offer Family,Children Portraits,outdoor and Studio Session.
And i will like to know your session availability on any of this date 25,26,28 and 29th of January 2012 or you can just let me know your own schedule.so that i will book ahead before coming.
Await your reply.
Engr Blake
+447031893870
Ireland
Overall, this shows that it’s no longer good enough for scammers to send mass messages to email lists. This could mean that people are just smarter about 419 scams and the like, so different methods have to created. On the other hand, it could just mean that scammers are just becoming greedier and bolder.
I received the exact same message today. The spammer got my email address from the WPPI website. (I know this because I used a unique email alias when registering with WPPI).
Thanks for the info, that must be the same scenario for me. I forgot about the email being listed there… need to change that then.
i dont get how this is spam? im not equating “so that i will book ahead before coming” as a way of “arrange a way to get money from you”
It’s a scam. Don’t reply to them.
To Lynn,
This is how this type of scam works:
If you agree to book a session with this guy, you will soon find yourself receiving a money order in the mail. The catch is, the money order is for far more than the amount you had agreed upon. Oh…and it’s also fake.
You then get an apology for the inconvenience and a request for you to send him back the amount his “secretary” had “accidentally” overpaid.
Banks have multiple levels of clearing checks, so after a day or two, it looks like the money order has cleared and that it’s safe to send the overpayment back to the scammer. Then a week later, after you’ve already sent the money to him, the bank realizes the original money orders have bounced, and you’re screwed.
Hope this helps. Kayla’s right…it’s a pure scam.