Anyone heard of this?

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Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 34

edited for privacy reasons
damn it

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

Fake check scam. Your friend gets a series of checks (or maybe just one large one) which will be for more than requested. Your friend will be asked to deposit the check and then pay the overage to someone else via Western Union. If your friend does this, she will of course incur liability for the entire amount when her bank comes back and notifies her of the check being counterfeit.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 34

thanks, thats what I thought...I tried to tell her

well, I guess since I warned her she'll get what she gets.
I suppose she's the perfect person to be scammed...she said she wants to break into the wholesale business and make her business big.

Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:47 pm

^^^^ Sixx......please have this person Google "check mule scams" and read the info.

Please ask her to call the local FBI office to ask them if they think this is a scam.

Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:51 pm

Sixx wrote:

A friend of a friend (who also makes handcrafted soap, as do I) got an email from a Chinese company

Has she checked the email headers to see where this person might REALLY be located?

Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 34

guys, I think she's totally oblivious Rolling Eyes

But I will tell her to check the headers.
Im just about done with warning her, I mean come on...its so obvious, isnt it??

thank you all, I really appreciate the confirmation on this =)

Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:15 pm

Well yes, its obvious to us. After all, we study and dissect these things constantly. For the average person who may never have heard of this type of scam, its much less so.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 34

I promise to update as I can...Im really trying to talk her into forwarding me the email.
But as she is only a friend of a friend, Im not sure she trusts me.
she prolly thinks I want the business all for myself Rolling Eyes

randomly, me thinks I need an avatar....

Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 12:07 am

Probably a variation of the wash wash scam Laughing

Of course there is always the chance in a trillion that the company is legit but just situated in a particularly dirty part of China. Rolling Eyes

After a while doing this the hair stands up automatically on the back of your neck.
SCAM!!!!! Tell your friend to phone your local law enforcement and ask.

Master Baiter Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 193

Why don't you direct her to this site? That might convince her.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 02 Jan 2006 Posts: 20

Tell her to do a google search for 'soap manufacturing china' Over a million hits including this one. [url=http://www.made-in-china.com/products-search/hot-china-products/Soap.html]

Why would they approach a foreign company when they have such a huge industry locally?

You might also tell her to speak to a customs agent or export consultant. They will tell her just how difficult it is to import goods into China. They have no problems shipping stuff out but the other way is extremely difficult and is usually only possible with things they cannot make themselves (Yet).

Quote me if you like. I have absolutely no idea when it comes to manufacturing soap. Send her here too, thats a good idea.[/url]

Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 12:14 pm

Sixx--

check out www.bustedupcowgirl.com

Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 34

so let the baiting begin....

Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:41 pm

Hi again Sixx--

She doesn't live in Canada any more than 'she is a she', IYKWIM. The header invariably traces back to--uh, Africa? or Nigeria, specifically? The Lads DO have connections in Canada but not importune to your bait yet. Not when a 'Mrs' is trying to set it up, which is generally the opening few hooks.

Have you been turned over to her MALE lawyer/son/banker yet? Lads often start out as a female but are very bad at keeping up that role. A buncha macho bull-s**t. So I turn the tables on them likewise.

Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:43 pm

Actually, it miiiiiight not be a fake check scam. Oh, it's still probably a scam, but I'm seeing more and more formats for "import scams". Some person will approach a business out of the blue and offer to order a gazillion units of whatever you're making, be it bottled water or waffle makers. They offer generous payment terms, and generally offer to pay the entire order before delivery. They're usually quite impatient about you filling the order, and will berate the business if they "can't handle the order, humph, we'll find someone who can, humph" and act very indignant if you ask any questions.

There's just this little matter of you becoming a "registered importer" with our country, darnit! But we can point you to a lawyer who will do it for a small fee...

Mostly, the import scams seem to originate from Benin and Nigeria, less often, but it's possible this one might not be a fake check scam at all. They count on the small businesses and newbies on b2b portals like Alibaba and Tradekey not knowing enough about international business to even question the "registration" bit. And most small business owners get big eyes when they're offered a large order for a (usually) government organization or charity organization. This might just be a slightly less polished format.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 34

Jervis Tetch wrote:

Hi again Sixx--

She doesn't live in Canada any more than 'she is a she', IYKWIM. The header invariably traces back to--uh, Africa? or Nigeria, specifically? The Lads DO have connections in Canada but not importune to your bait yet.

Have you been turned over to her MALE lawyer/son/banker yet? Lads often start out as a female but are very bad at keeping up that role. A buncha macho bull-s**t. So I turn the tables on them likewise.

I thought Id bait them with a cell phone offer or something (Ive done that one before....) and see what happens =)

thank you mrs.bean, you are probably spot on with that.

now i just need to draft a plausible bait offer

Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:57 pm

Sixx--

So if their 'specialty' is 'Chinese cosmetics' as they say--ask to see their latest line of non-MSG lipstick and rouge. [website request?] Fair question on your part. Tell them you deal in fishnet hosiery on the side. THAT should boggle them a bit! They'll be thinking fish!

Just throwing wild ideas around, but the main point is to have fun, bait safe, and not lose 1 iota of sleep with anything you said or shoulda said to the mugus.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 34

Jervis Tetch wrote:

Sixx--

So if their 'specialty' is 'cosmetic' as they say--ask them to see their latest lines of lipstick and rouge. [website request] Fair question on your part.

ah ha...clever Cool

Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 2:09 pm

Sixx---^^^^

In that 3-minute gap I further embellished, so check again.

Notice how fast the lads mentioned the 'cosmetics' angle to you and just as quickly abandoned it and got right down to the money scam with you. I don't let them get away with that in whatever scam they pueport to be using. I want them to give me proof.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 34

Jervis Tetch wrote:

Sixx--

So if their 'specialty' is 'Chinese cosmetics' as they say--ask to see their latest line of non-MSG lipstick and rouge. [website request?] Fair question on your part. Tell them you deal in fishnet hosiery on the side. THAT should boggle them a bit! They'll be thinking fish!

Just throwing wild ideas around, but the main point is to have fun, bait safe, and not lose 1 iota of sleep with anything you said or shoulda said to the mugus.

thats so funny and we must have been using the same brain waves cuz I just made a new yahoo acct to use.... [email protected] Laughing

Im tossing in that we produce pancake griddles too...just for kicks

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Well this just about sums it up for me as a scam:

www.gangtaiyuan.com

On the footer on their website, they claim to have been in business since 1999:

Quote:

Their domain was only purchased on March 7th 2007, and only registered for the minimum of 12 months, now, if they are a long term business since 1999 like they claim, you would expect them to have at a 5 year domain registration, scammers only buy domain name for 1 year as they know their sites either get closed down for fraud, or when they are found out to be scammers, they just register a new domain for a year again, why pay for 5 years when you know you have will not be around for that long!

Quote:

Domain Name: GANGTAIYUAN.COM
Registrar: WEB COMMERCE COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED DBA WEBNIC.CC
Whois Server: whois.webnic.cc
Referral URL: http://www.webnic.cc
Name Server: NS1.CNOLNIC.NET
Name Server: NS2.CNOLNIC.NET
Status: clientDeleteProhibited
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Status: clientUpdateProhibited
Updated Date: 07-mar-2007
Creation Date: 07-mar-2007
Expiration Date: 07-mar-2008

Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 34

I noticed that too...except I didnt see that it expires one year from the date they put the site up.
good eyes there SP!

they've been baited by TunaMish Cosmetics...I just want to play a little.

Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 2:40 pm

Is there anyone Chinese around, so you can just shut the frigging site down? I'd say a simple mail to the hoster can cause more problems than they can solve within a month Wink

BTW, is the supposed victim convinced already?

[edit] Mail sent, yahoo has a good reputation on this one Wink

[/edit]

Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 34

yeah, I think she's convinced LOL

and no...no Chinese ppl around me
I work from home Wed. thru Fri. (I know, lucky dawg huh?)

Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 4:02 pm

Some Chinese hosts wouldn't care if you got a whole mob of Chinese people complaining. Some hosters only cut off the scammer if they don't pay their bill. It's not like they're afraid of being sued.

For that matter, not all the hosts who behave like that are Chinese, either. Some hosts don't care, period. They like having scammers and spammers on board as long as it means a profit.