I have a fresh fish for you kind people

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Sep 2008 Posts: 10

Here is what I know:

Scammer is going by Felix Hilton with email address of [email protected] and is looking for a photographer to help him with his upcoming wedding on January 17th 2009. He sent out an email to several photography sites and came through topweddingsites.com. He first sent out the below email:

From: Felix Hilton [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sat 9/20/2008
To: xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: I Need Your Services For My Wedding...
Hi,
How are you doing? This is Felix Hilton,i will like to know if you will be available on January
17th 2009 for my wedding,i will need your assistance for my wedding.

Please do get in touch with me ASAP. I am in offshore here in Manchester and i will like you
to call me +447024045269 or send me email for quick response.

Thanks
Felix

Then like a moroon he copied me on the same exact email he sent to another photography company down in Miami Florida. Now I have to admit I was already skeptical at this point, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt and replied with:

Hello Felix,

First off let me say congratulations. Yes we are available for photography during that time frame. Would the wedding be here in the United States?

xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx Photographer
www.xxxxxx.com
[email protected]

Now I know I shouldn’t have used my real email address but hey I didn’t know that it was a scam yet, just a potential, albeit weird client.

From: Felix Hilton [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tue 9/23/2008
To: xxxxxxxx xxxxxxx
Subject: Response Needed
Hi xxxxxxxxxxxx,
How are you doing?thanks for your response and for letting me know that you will be available on my date,the wedding location is in State but i am still looking for a good location,but i assure you that where ever i get a location,i will pay your transport there..where are you?
So,let me know how you runs your package.
Cheers
Felix

I grew suspicious and so I looked at my website tracking and low and behold I had a hit from Lagos, Nigeria each day that I had gotten an email from this “client” To be sure I wanted to get the client to go to a specific landing page that I control and can track the landings on. Luckily I had just heard the NPR “This American Life” about scam baiting and found it hysterical. I sent the following:

Hi Felix,

We are located in Florida but have and can travel throughout the United States. Our rates are listed in the link below. The rates cover different levels of coverage and package inclusions. It really depends on how long the wedding is and if you'll want any additional items. The only thing the rates do not include are travel expenses. This would be something we'd include in the contract once the location was decided upon. So how did you hear about xxxxx Art and do you have any questions for me?

www.xxxxxxxx.com/rates.html

xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx Photographer
www.xxxxxx.com
[email protected]

I then waited with “baited” breath and low and behold the guy hits my site, and then sends me the following email thus laying out his scam.

From: Felix Hilton [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thu 9/25/2008
To: xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: Response Needed
Hello xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
How are you doing?thanks your response and for letting me know that you will be available on my date and you will be giving me the best of the best for my wedding,i am so happy to know you,i will be letting my fiance know about you later today.
I will like you to know that i have check the packages you have and i choose the Lily Package at the rate of $2,500.
So,i will like to know how much is the amount you are charge me and how much you will take first as your first deposit payment because i want you to help me secure the minister that will be coming to the wedding,from the first payment you will be getting from me as i am in offshore and i really don't have much time left and that is why i want you to help me secure him down from the payment you will get before i finish what i am doing..He is my Sunday school teacher when i was teens and it will be my great honor to see him that very day to join my fiance and I together.My woman can't wait to see him.
I will like you to get back to me fast.
Cheers
Felix

I leave it up to you what to do. I haven’t replied and more than likely will reply with some sort of brush off and then stop responding since it is my business account. But thought you guys might like a crack at it. Let me know if you’d like me to do anything else. By the way here is what I do know about him.

Felix Hilton

[email protected]

Lagos, Nigeria

Firefox 3.0.1

Windows XP

Flash is supported, Java is not

Network states “assigned to lagos dial-pool customers”

Dialup network

Checking mail through uk.mc284.mail.yahoo.com (or uk.yahoo.com)

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Sep 2008 Posts: 10

Just as a heads up I already let the other photography company know that this was a scammer emailing them. I also let topweddingsites.com know that they might want to notify their members (photographers) about the scammer.

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:53 pm

Firstly, welcome to Eater.

As he has your personal real life info. you should cease all communication with him. If you want to mess with him get yourself a fictional character and set up a gmail or fastmail email account.

This looks like your bog standard check overpayment scam. He sends a check in excess of the fee and asks you to send the difference back by Western Union/Moneygram. The check subsequently bounces and you are left to face the music and a nice police photo holding up your crim number.

I will gladly have a go at this guy.

Quote:

...I am in offshore here in Manchester...

I know it always rains in Manchester, but that is ridiculous. Laughing

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Sep 2008 Posts: 10

Yeah if you want him he's all yours. I wouldn't know what to do as I've just started reading this stuff. I'd love to be kept up on our our boy is doing though. My friends all want to know how he is strung along and honestly I'd like to learn from it.

I'll make sure to cease all communcations with him though. Good advice.

Once I've read enough of the stickies and gotten a handle on everything I might try to bait one or two. I also work for a major spam filtering company during the week and have plenty of spam to pull from to find scammers.

Elite Baiter Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 1269

scamhaiter wrote:

I wouldn't know what to do as I've just started reading this stuff.

Hey, SH, and welcome to the board. Grab a risky free mentor if you want some one on one help. Twisted Evil

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Sep 2008 Posts: 10

I'll deffinately do that. After reading a lot of stuff I have to say I dig how cool this forum is to new members. Good on all of you.

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 4:25 pm

Welcome, scamhaiter, and thanks for your kind words. I hope you enjoy your time here, and that you'll join us in baiting some lads. Smile

By the way, I've edited out a stray mention of your company name from one of the emails you quoted. Smile

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Sep 2008 Posts: 10

You Rock, thanks for the edit.

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:16 am

Quote:

Hello Ron Jeremy,
Thanks for your response and for letting me know that you have my date open,i will like to answer your question first:
Time of the wedding? 10:00 am
Venue.? Looking at houston but location not yet selected
Church or Registry Office. ? not a church but a mansion or a garden.
Will you be requiring our service at the reception? Yes
Number of guests attending.? 70 guest expecting
Any unusual requirements? ie: Hamburger shots? Boner shots? Both
Any animals involved? Horse and carriage, goats, dogs or other pets? If
so, in what way? No
If required for the reception, will our photographer be fed from the
buffet? If so what? yes
What colour dress will the bride and bridesmaid be wearing? minty green.
I will like you to let me know your package.
Cheers
Felix

Hamburger shots but no goats? Crying or Very sad

He gets this:

Quote:

Hi Felix.

Sounds good. We can work a package out for you no problem and tailor it to
your needs. Would you please send us a photograph of yourself and your
intended wife so that we can calibrate our equipment accordingly? It will
save a lot of time and money on the day.

Also, you may also be interested in one of our "special deals". Today
we're finding that many couples like us to video the "Wedding Night" so
that they can enjoy a private viewing in the years to come and have
something to show their grandkids.

If you're interested, prices begin at about 1k up to 5k. I'd need to know
what postions you intend to use, if there are going to be any toys and how
long you intend to engage in coitus. Please note that we do not deal in
scat or golden showers. Our photographer takes a strictly "hands off"
approach but he will be willing to do a bit of fluffing if it is
required, for a small fee.

Hope to hear from you.

Ron Jeremy.

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:43 am

^^^You forgot to ask him if he wanted some 'private' shots of the consummation of the marriage on their honeymoon. Very Happy

My female character just emailed him. Waiting for a reply.

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:50 am

LOL. I didn't forget.

I edited the minute after you posted to include my reply.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Sep 2008 Posts: 10

You guys rock. The stuff you put on there had me cracking up. I appreciate you taking it over and running with it. My friends and I have been dying looking at your postings. Keep up the great work.

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 4:31 pm

I wonder if I'll get a reply with this one? Twisted Evil

Greetings Earthling

I hail you from London capital city of Mars, I have been reliably informed you require your wedding to be photographed & for you & your wife to be whisked away afterwards for some Medical Experimentation & Anal probing.

Would you be requiring memory wipes or recovery time from the surgery afterwards?

If you feel that my very exclusive services are what you're looking for perhaps you can fill out a short form that I'm including...

Full Name:
Age:
Height:
Weight:
Sexual Preferences:
(if animals please include breed & pet names)
Eye Colour: (please indicate if eyes are different colours)
Hair Colour:
Hair Length: (please measure at least 3 separate hairs & give average)
Inside Leg Measurement
Outside Leg Measurement (if different to inside)
Left Arm Length:
Right Arm Length (if different to left)
Chest Size:
Waist Size:
IQ:
(if unsure please contact Mensa www.m3nsa.com for testing.)

Please be as accurate as possible as a successful trip to Mars depends on your answers.

Kindest Regards Mr S4muels Bruc3 (Mars/Earth Wedding Photography & Abduction Services)

Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 6:50 am

Here is my inquiry:

Quote:

I am a professional wedding guest. I would be willing to attend your wedding. My fees are reasonable and in line with the Union scale. You can contact me at this e-mail address. I also do some singing and piano playing.

Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:34 am

Scamhaiter: If you have a relationship with the web site you might want to talk to them about putting up a warning on their page about the scam so others can be educated. We can give you links they can include such as www.scamwarners.com where people can go for more information.

Education is a big key in fighting 419 fraud.

Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 9:44 am

Good news!!!
Felix is interested in the "Wedding Night" video.

Quote:

Hi Ron,
Sorry for the late response,i have been in the offshore since and i didn't get a chance to send you an email,i am just getting out today and i am sending this email about 11:45 pm time here in Manchester city,UK.I will try and get our pictures by tomorrow morning and send it to you probably by Monday.Meanwhile i will like you to let me know your packages maybe i will be able to choose from it,also i am interested in video the "Wedding
Night" i will talk with my fiance about tomorrow and i am sure she will like it too,just add it to the money i am going to pay you and let me know.
Cheers
Felix

So:

Quote:

Hi Felix.

Your email is noted.
As an aside, if you do decide on a video of the wedding night, we may be able to work out some sort of deal. In the past, some of our customers have decided that they would like to share their videos with the world. In this case, we arrange publication and pay a fee to you for any financial gains we may make in the future. Depending upon content and how photogenic you and your wife are, you may pick up anywhere between $10k and $50k. Just a thought if you are interested.

Copyright and intellectual property remain yours and your statutary rights are not affected.

I look forward to hearing from you on Monday.

Ron Jeremy.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Sep 2008 Posts: 10

The Man: Thanks for the tip. I had already emailed topweddingsites.com to let them know since I, along with all the other photographers, are paying for advertising, but I just got the blow off. They basically said that they can't possibly warn all their customers about possible scam artsists. I emailed back and once again got the blow off.

It peaves me a bit because I feel its their responsibility to warn their customers. Alas, corportate stupidity is not something I can help with.

I've also emailed the one photographer I know that the scammer emailed and they said they were grateful for the heads up and would be on the look out.

Slightlyoutofit: your stuff is good good good. My wife (who runs the business with me) is loving it.

sellingrich: professional wedding guest. I don't even know where you guys come up with this stuff. awesome.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 18 Sep 2008 Posts: 38

Total n00b, but figured I'd reply anyway.
I was too tired to write more, but will endeavour to be more creative in the future if he replies.

Quote:

Dear F3l1x,

Thank you for your interest in P1k0p 4ndr0p0v- Chauffeur. We would be happy to provide transportation services for your wedding. Please reply with the number of guests we will be required to transport and whether you will require our special "Wedding Getaway" services.

Sincerely,

P. 4ndr0p0v

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Sep 2008 Posts: 10

Looks like either Felix or one of his buddies has started on some other photographers. I had a couple report this to me:

From: Lopez Anderson [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sun 9/28/2008 8:32 PM
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER NEEDED

GREETING,

I'M LOPEZ ANDERSON ,MY WEDDING WILL BE COMING UP NEXT 3 MONTH ON THE .14TH OF DECEMBER ( AT THE ADDRESS BELOW). I WILL LIKE YOU TO BE THE PHTOGRAPHER FOR MY WEDDIING,I LOOK FORWARD TO A VERY BIG,SOCIAL AND COLOURFULL WEDDING,SO I WANT THE BEST OF PROFESIONAL JOB. YOU WILL BE WORKING FOR 3 HRS RECEPTION ONLY.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE DAY,ALSO I WILL LIKE YOU
TO SEND YOUR TOTAL COST PLUS AIR TICKET FEES,MY PLANNER WILL BOOK THE HOTEL FOR YOUR COMING. MY PLANNER WHO IS IN THE UK AT PRESENT WILL TAKE CARE OF THE CHARGES MODE OF PAYMENT VIA CASHIER CHECK OR MONEY ORDER AND ALSO GET TO ME WITH YOUR FULL NAME AND CONTACT ADDRESS. I LOOK FORWARD IN HEARING FROM YOU SOONEST.

HERE IS THE RECEPTION ADDRESS SO AS TO CALCULATE THE TOTAL COSTING:-

Inter Continental Houston Hotel new
2222 West Loop South, Houston, Texas 77027

BEST REGARDS
LOPEZ ANDERSON.

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:52 am

Felix is shy:

Quote:

Hi Ron Jeremy,
Thanks for your response,i have attach the picture of my fiance and I,i will like you to know that my fiance and I have decide that we should have the video of the wedding night but we don't want it publicly,we just want it for ourself.So,i will like to know your package,maybe i can choose from it.
Felix

He sent me the usual photo of two people ripped from the net. To tell the truth, he could have done a lot better. It looked like he stole them from uglybastards.com.

Quote:

Hi Felix.

After viewing the photograph I think you're probably right. We don't have much call for Fugly porn and I'd only be able to advance you $2k for the wedding night video. Unfortunately, our consumers are a bit choosey about what they play hand to gland combat with and I'm afraid your wife doesn't quite have the looks to get anyone aroused unless they're interested in what we call Horror Porn. It's a sad world where looks are everything but we can't put a pig in a strop off flick. Sorry about that.

Anyway. Give me a day or so and I'll get the package together and send you the contract.

Ron Jeremy.

He replies:

Quote:

Hi Ron,
Very funny you are,i am happy to meet someone like you that can put smile on couples
face,it's alright,i will like you get the package together and the contract to me as
soon as you can.
Thanks
Felix

Yeah Felix. We're all smiling. Wait until you get the contract. We'll all be smiling then too.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Sep 2008 Posts: 10

I wonder if theyd be willing to have any wedding guests join in on the late night festivities, since they didn't want any farm animals. Didn't a "professional wedding guest" email them a little bit ago with an offer to attend their wedding? I thought I read that a bit up on the post, perhaps he could be attending more than their wedding.

Great job Slightly. By the way, I'm going to make it a point to use "horror porn" in a conversation today. That was the best bit.

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