I'm a total moron. Fell for the scam. Now what?!

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Posts: 4

Moving to Des Moines, Iowa was a painstaking task- my girlfriend and I having virtually NO FUNDS whatsoever after we had paid up for our new apartment (the first month's rent and the security deposit combined). I needed to find substantial work as soon as could be considered humanly possible.

I got hired as a manager some place- but the start date was too far off- we still needed cash. So I went looking for work on Craigslist. Yes. Stupid, stupid me. I could literally bitch-slap myself right now for being so ignorant and naive! Anywho, turns out some guy claiming to operate "The London Magic Store" (there's a seemingly legit website for this thing) was seeking a "personal assistant"- someone who would get checks in the mail, purchase products, and ship things off to distant locations. I thought, "Great! I could now afford to put some food on the table!" I thought wrong.

So I get some check in the mail for $4,800. Yeah- I was shaking just looking at the thing! I also received an e-mail informing me that I was to cash the check as soon as possible, keep $300 for my first week of pay, and wire the rest to a couple of sources via Western Union. Being SO desperate for cash, my logical brain shut down completely. I walked to the nearest bank- and the nightmare continued...

I get to the bank and attempt to cash the check. Wrong move, fly-boy! Turns out I needed to have a seat with the bank manager (great guy, by the way). Here's where TERROR begins to grip both my heart and soul. Turns out the check was FAKE and that I was a victim in a carefully crafted con. My logic starts returning to me. I was no longer concerned over whether or not my girlfriend and I could eat this particular evening, but rather whether or not I'd be able to eat with her again in the coming years.. because I may just find myself in prison eating crumbs off of big-black bubba's nipples instead.

The bank manager informed me that I wasn't in any kind of trouble and that people are conned like this all the time. He's right- IDIOTS are conned all the time. But me? NO WAY!

Despite the bank manager's assurances, I'm still a bit frightened as to what comes next. I mean, they took my photo I.D. and made a copy for fuck's sake! IF I land in prison for this I'll be EXTREMELY disheartened.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 23 Mar 2010 Posts: 25

Don't worry about it. You can contact your fake employer and let him know you got busted. Check with the police first. I doubt if they want to pursue this being as how it is difficult to track, but, give them first shot. Either way, I would just be straight forward with Mr. Rip-off and quit!

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 1:30 am

Welcome to the Eater.

I think the bank manager did you a huge favor and you are not in any trouble. If the bank wanted to press charges you would have been detained by bank security and you would have walked out wearing stainless steel bracelets.

Have no further contact with the scammer. And stop being so hard on yourself, you are not alone. Check out the sister site http://www.scamwarners.com/ and you will see how much company you have. Even the smartest people get conned.

Stick around and learn how to get even. Wink

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 1:34 am

All kinds of people get conned. These people are good at preying on desperate individuals. They dangle chocolate instead of carrots. And who can resist chocolate? Wink

The great news is you found out before you were obliged to pay back $4,800 as well as deal with possible jail. Good on the bank manager for catching it and informing you! Smile

At least now you're armed with some good information to pass along to other possible victims before it is too late.

Oh - and welcome! Smile

Hopefully you'll be able to get your revenge! Twisted Evil

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

I will second Lakeside - go to http://www.scamwarners.com

I would encourage you to get help from there before you decide to start baiting.

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 1:39 am

Hi thegreatkidney!

Please don't feel stupid. Wink

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Posts: 4

Hey, thanks to all. I feel now I have the necessary "fire in my belly" to combat these low-lives.

Very interesting how one mistake can lead to a discovery of an entire community devoted to tearing down global fraudsters.

I may just join your ranks and seek the revenge I feel I'm entitled to..

Onward! And great job, everybody. Really.

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 2:00 am

Ride with this posse here and within a month or two you will have caused the scammers a lot more trouble than they ever caused you.

Juan's stalker Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 1423

So sorry this happened to you thegreatkidney. Sad

So many people in this economy are falling victim to scammers because they are so desperate for work just like you.

You are not in anyway stupid or an idiot and I agree you need to stop being so hard on yourself.
I don't think the bank is going to do anything to you and actually the bank teller and manager really saved you.

I wish more banks would watch as carefully for this to save people just like yourself having to pay back a huge amount of money and possible jail time.
I hope things get better soon for you and your girlfriend and keep your chin up. Welcome to Eater by the way. Very Happy

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 3:25 am

Quote:

IDIOTS are conned all the time. But me? NO WAY!

NO you are not an Idiot, read some of the stories on here or over on Scamwarners

http://www.scamwarners.com

These people can be very plausible, I think your Bank Manager did a great job, and don't worry I do not think that you will end up in jail over this.

Welcome to Eater... Laughing

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

Welcome, thegreatkidney. I'm very sorry to hear what has happened to you.

As others have said, please do check out our sister site which provides information on scams and victim support. This is the informational topic there on Employment scams like the one you were victim to: http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3230

You're not very likely in trouble as you were definitely a victim and the check was caught before it was processed.

Please do read at ScamWarners to familiarize yourself with other types of scams. If you decide to bait scammers, don't bait the one that scammed you (but post his info so we can bait him!) and please read here to make sure that you do so safely.

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 3:44 am

Hi thegreatkidney, and welcome here.

As others have said, you should go to www.scamwarners.com and read for a while. There are literally thousands of variations of advance fee fraud scams. The one you should be concerned with now is a recovery type scam. While you did not lose any money, you did fall for the scam.

The scammers will likely use your anger against you by contacting you as police officers, judges, attorneys etc. and saying that they have caught the scammer and need your assistance in bringing him to justice. You may be asked to pay some court costs, document fees and attorney fees.

The best defense against these types of scams is knowledge. That's where scamwarners is an invaluable resource. Wink

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 8:41 am

as others have said don't be hard on yourself, it can happen to the best of people. Post the headers here and i am sure one of our "fake cheque" specialists will give these lowlives some attention Wink

419Eater is my life Joined: 22 Jan 2010 Posts: 329

Not much more I can really add, the pros have already given out all the advice.

All I can say is that like everyone else, I'm sorry this has happened to you.

If at some point you wish to join our ranks and bring the pain back to these scum, however, be my guest! Cool

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 9:58 am

I'd say you were very lucky and should buy the bank manager a pint! Now you're angry and red-faced, but you're not in legal trouble and you're not $5000 overdrawn. Seriously, that bank manager deserves a pint.

And the scam was more realistic than many as your 'fee' was only $300 for a month's worth of forthcoming 'work', not like 20% of every cheque, or something silly.

Chalk this to experience, and if you're short of cash in the meantime, maybe ask the same bank manager about a loan against your future work, or see if you can get a small advance from the new company, or take a temping job for a few weeks, or mow lawns, etc... And enjoy your liberty Smile

As for 'will things get worse for you?' with the scammer having your ID, etc - no. The scammer will not chase you down in any meaningful way (as they know they're committing a crime and are hardly going to place themselves somewhere the police can catch them), maybe a couple of bullying emails, but that's it. If you want to make one last email back to them, just say 'You f*ckers nearly cost me police trouble, never contact me again you lowlife scum' or similar, get it out of your system, then NEVER respond to any other emails/calls from them - they'll vanish pretty quickly to screw someone else over.

So, what next? Learn from this, but also get VOCAL! You were brave enough to own up here that you were nearly taken, so take it to the next level, talk to your local church/newspaper/book club/schools/wherever you know circles of people. Your story can stop others getting caught the same way, and is absolutely the most valuable thing you can do now for your community. Get vocal, and you save your local community AND starve the scammers of victims.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 30 May 2009 Posts: 14

Hi there Kidney. I was a Bank Manager for over 8 years with a major bank in Australia (only left last year) and saw this sort of thing many times. You WILL NOT go to jail. The only time you put yourself at risk is when you actually cash a real cheque (obtained by fraudulent means) and take your percentage, or accept a direct credit (again , from money that has been stolen or laundered) and take your percentage. This is against the law. Fortunately , the cheque was fake in your instance and could not be cashed. I have had instances where people bank these fake cheques into their accounts and the scammer requests their cut from the victim before it bounces. This NEARLY happened to a young kid I knew well whos parent was a solicitor ! I once managed to save a transfer of about $12,000 from a middle aged business man to a scammer account in China. (I'm not tooting my own horn here , just want you to understand that all people from all walks of life can fall victim to these scumbags). Having seen the effects financially that these parasites can cause to people and families , I have no hesitation recommending 419 eater as a means of fighting these people. Once again for the record , YOU WILL NOT GO TO JAIL. You have done nothing wrong and your bank manager has effectively and rightly so , stopped you in your tracks. Sleep easy and good luck with your new job mate.

Regards
FCI

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 2:07 pm

Welcome TGK. You mentioned the London Magic Store as seemingly a legit website.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/London-Magic-Store

This one maybe?

What the lad is doing here we call 'piggy-backing'

The lad supplies links in his emails to a legit website in order to make his stance seemingly more 'real'

It happens a lot, there are also lads that copy sites and create a fake version to suck people in.

Hope you stick around and come join the fight.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Posts: 4

http://www.londonmagicstore.co.uk/

This was the website the scumbag claimed he was in charge of. He said his name was "Wayne Johnson".

Here's one of the actual e-mails sent over...

"Hello,

This is to confirm to you that payment of $4800 has been issued in favour of your name and sent to the address you provided from one of our clients. The payment will be delivered today via UPS.

As soon as you receive it, take it to your bank and cash it immediately, deduct $300 for your first week payment and the balance should be sent to the 2 Electronics Store Accountant through Western Union Money Transfer:

Accountant Information:

(1)

First Name: Paul
Last Name: Gahagan
Amount: $2250 minus $125 fees = $2125

Address
106 Saint Paul's Close,
Zip Code: W5 3JY
City: London
State: England
Country: United Kingdom

(2 ) Second Accountant Information:

First Name: Tony
Last Name: phillips
Amount: $2250 minus $125 fees = $2125
Address

615 Garratt Lane
Zip Code: SW18 4SU
City: London
State: England
Country: United Kingdom

I am aware that you would be charged to have the money sent through western union, kindly deduct western Union charges from the money you are sending. After sending it through western union, a number will be given to you called CONTROL NUMBER (MTCN) send the control number to me through my mail. I will await you reply containing the MTCN number and the amount sent.

Thank you."

Total loser, right?

Master Baiter Joined: 24 Mar 2009 Posts: 128

You are so fortunate that the bank manager saw that it was a forged check BEFORE you cashed it and were then told that the checked bounced and that you would have to pay the bank back!! The scammer guy told you to go to the bank immediately and cash said check and send it out to them right away!!! He knows he only has so many days to get it done and for them to get you to send the money to them!! He is going to be so sad when he finds out that the gig is up, his fake check was exposed and he is not going to get any money at all!! They have to pay someone to print out those checks, you just got over on the crooks, so no, dont think that you are dumb, as you are the winner in this one!!!

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Posts: 4

Hey all,

the guy's e-mail address is as follows: [email protected]

Thanks again for your tips, suggestions, and advice!

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:01 pm

Classic check scam, your bank manager did you a real favour - normally you end up in debt and legal trouble.

From dnsstuff.com:

Quote:

Domain name:
londonmagicstore.co.uk

Registrant:
Dario Lopez

Registrant type:
UK Individual

Registrant's address:
The registrant is a non-trading individual who has opted to have their
address omitted from the WHOIS service.

Registrar:
Fasthosts Internet Ltd [Tag = LIVEDOMAINS]
URL: http://www.fasthosts.co.uk

Relevant dates:
Registered on: 14-Nov-2009
Renewal date: 14-Nov-2011
Last updated: 02-Jun-2010

The site sounds a bit dubious to me, but according to the website their adress is:

Unit 1 Gateway Business Centre
Tom Cribb Road
Royal Arsenal
London
SE18 0EZ

And the company is AIODistribution Limited, Company Registration number: 06173420. VAT Registration No.: GB 919 3241 24

The VAT number checks out to that company and adress

Not sure if its a real company but scam website, but our site killers may shed more light.

I also found http://www.aiodistribution.com/

Registrant:
Sudip
26 Inverine Road
Charlton
Greenwich
London, UK SE7 7NL
GB

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:52 pm

Something's not adding up here, but it could be just shoddy websites.

From AIO Distribution's website:

Quote:

AIODistribution was formed in 2003.

From Companies House:

Quote:

Name & Registered Office:
AIODISTRIBUTION LTD
95 SAMUEL STREET, WOOLWICH
LONDON
LONDON
SE18 5LF
Company No. 06173420
Status: Active
Date of Incorporation: 20/03/2007

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

But a 5-year registration?

Quote:

Domain Name: AIODISTRIBUTION.COM
Registrar: TUCOWS INC.
Whois Server: whois.tucows.com
Referral URL: http://domainhelp.opensrs.net
Name Server: NS1.DNS-SYSTEMS.NET
Name Server: NS2.DNS-SYSTEMS.NET
Status: clientDeleteProhibited
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Status: clientUpdateProhibited
Updated Date: 18-jun-2010
Creation Date: 18-jul-2006
Expiration Date: 18-jul-2011

Probably my raging case of finely-honed Eater paranoia, but it doesn't all fit. In any case, it's probably a piggy-back as suggested, a lad citing a legit site in his email to give him cred. I notice his reply email is gmail (untraceable).

As for London Magicstore, I'm leaning toward legit. It has stores on both ebay and Amazon.

Opinion subject to change, of course.
Wink

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:25 pm

Don't feel bad. You've only acted as humans do. If there wasn't low lifes like your lad around, it'd never be a problem. It's not your fault - it's the fault of these creeps. Mad

Welcome to Eater, mate! Wink

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