How is this email I got a scam? (Because it certainly is.)

In My Humble Opinion
1

First off, I know that it is a scam, and I immediately flagged it. But, I was wondering how they hoped to make money off me.

Basically some guy was offering me a job to run errands, mail packages, etc. for him for $500/wek because he was out of town all the time running his London art gallery. The mail said I could open the packages to verify contents, and wouldn’t have to pay anything. I’m assuming that part was a lie - or that he’d ‘mail me an expense check’ from London to cover the expenses, and that check would bounce after I had fronted him some cash?

Just wondering what the scam was.

2

Can you post the whole message here?

3

Here it is. I think I see it now, with the bit about shopping for items to mail to him, which I missed the first time.

*Hello,

I’m looking for someone who can handle my business & personal errands at his/her
spare time. Someone who can offer me these services:

  • Mail services (Receive my mails and drop them off at UPS or USPS)
  • Shop for Gifts
  • Bill payment (pay my bills on my behalf)
  • Sit for delivery (at your home) or pick items up at nearby post office at your
    convenience.

Let me know if you will be able to offer me any or all of these services.I will
love to meet up with you to talk about this job but I am currently away on
business.I am in London (England) so there will be no
Interview. I will prepay you in advance to do my shopping. I will also have my
mails and packages forwarded to your address. If you will be unable to stay at
your house to get my mails, I can have it shipped to a post office near you and
then you can pick it up at your convenience.

When you get my mails/packages, you are required to mail them to where I want
them mailed to. You don’t have to use money out of your pocket. All you have to
do is have the package(s) shipped to wherever I want and do my shipping. You are
allowed to open the packages to reveal its content.

The content of the packages are art materials and paintings, clothings,business
and personal letters. All expenses and taxes will be covered by me.You will work
between 15 to 20hrs a month.

The pay is $500 weekly. That is not a bad offer is it? I need your service
because I am constantly out of town. I own an Art Gallery in London.I will be
returning to USA in December so this process will be going on till then.

If you don’t mind, I will meet up with you when I return and then we can talk
about the possibility of making this long term.

Well, let me know if you are able to handle the position. I hope to hear from
you soon.

I will email you the list and pictures of what to shop for when I am ready. No
heavy package is involved! You can do the shopping at any nearby store. You
will be shopping for electronics and clothings

I will provide you my personal UPS account number forshipping. All you have to
do is provide my account number to UPS and shipping charges will be billed to my
account.

I will provide clear set of instructions for each task as well the funds to
cover them.

If I were to mail you money to do my shopping plus upfront payment for your
services, where would you want it mailed to? How should your name appear on the
payment? Provide me with the following details listed below:

Full Name:
Full Address(No PO Box allowed):
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Home Phone:
Cell Phone:
Age:
Occupation(If any):
Email address:

I would also need your cell phone number as that would be the best way to
communicate.

Thank you,
Joel Delware.*

4

More info would be helpful, but this reminds me of the scam where you volunteer to be recipient of goods and to repackage them and forward to another address. The goods are paid for with a stolen credit card, and the shipments will eventually be traced to you. Meanwhile, the final recipient is long gone and you will have some serious ‘splainin’ to do, Lucy.

ETA: Yep, looks a lot like that. Perhaps the other duties are just a coverup.

5

Since he said he will provide you funds, I’m assuming he will send you a fake check. You deposit that check and the funds will be credited to your account, but it may take 10 day or more for the bank to realize the check is fraudulent. At that point the bank will take the funds back. The scammer is counting on getting you buy and ship the merchandise to him before the check bounces.

6

Looks a lot like this: Scam Forum, and it looks like the price has gone up from $450/month. Grab it!

They send fake checks. In that forum, several people said they took the checks to the authorities. Looks like this dude is avoiding jail by being out of the country, or maybe his scam is so successful that he can pay for full-time laywers.

7

OK, that makes sense now.

Thanks, and ignorance fought!

8

Not a native English speaker, unless “mails” is a regionalism I’ve never heard before.
I love when I get scam emails at my fairychatmom accounts - none of the accounts have anything to identify me or where I live, yet the emails sound so personal, as if the sender has found a long-lost friend.

9

Nearly identical emails to the OP. Some offered only $300 per month, or $300 per transaction, and some are dated September 2012, so the scammer dude is still quite active and seems to be immune to prosecution so far.

One person said they received $15,000 in 2 checks to spend and all they supplied was their name and address. The printing presses must be heating up to print so many bogus checks.

10

Even if this was legit, $500/week would hardly make this worth it for me.

11

Ha! I would totally do this for $500 a week! That’s big bucks around here!

12

What jumped out at me on reading the email was “Pay my bills on my behalf.” Yeah, you’ll do that and then get screwed out of your reimbursement.

Plus, of course, there’s the fields at the bottom for your information. A scammer can do a lot with that info.

13

Musicat has it - you’d be receiving stolen goods, acting as an unwitting maildrop for fraudulent purchases. Possibly you’d be duped into cashing bogus cheques also.