Internet Music Scammers

[magicfishy]

Musicians Beware!

 

I received an email (from my website email address) a couple of weeks ago from a "Pitt Andrews" asking if I could play for a wedding/anniversary gathering in Tucson, AZ, which is about 200 miles from where I live. I emailed him back and asked for details and received the following emails over a period of a week:

 

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Subject: Wedding/ Anniversary.

Dear x,

 

Thanks alot for your prompt response to my email. My neice Valerie will be getting married here in Tucson,AZ on the 20th, Oct. This is very special for us as it marks our silver anniversary( my wife Winnifred and I). I will be very glad if you obliged me as this will be especially thrilling for my neice. Please let me know your charge so i can make a choice as i am also inviting an African act on Winnie's request. I want you to have the priviledge of chosing a convenient time to perform as the reception is billed to begin at 2:00pm.

 

Warm regards,

Pitt.

 

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Subject: RE: Wedding/ Anniversary.

Dear x,

 

Thanks alot. This is quite an event and preparations is really hectic. I have had to move around alot, that's why you haven't been able to get me on phone.

Event Address's- 6922 E River Rd,Tucson. The event would best be discribed as semi-formal and please come in any attire you deem suitable. I need you to send me your name and address as it should appear on a certified check so i can instruct my accountant to sort out the payments. I want every arrangement finalised asap.

 

Regards,

Pitt.

 

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Subject: RE: Wedding/ Anniversary.

Dear x,

 

Thanks alot. Winnie's actually Irish and a good number of our invitees are Celtic. I'm sure your originals will be quite appreciated by all. Sorry i didn't mention we wouldn't be needing the sound sys as we have provided here already. Our expectation is about 150 guests and it is outdoor and there's adequate protection for unplesant weather.

I will instruct my accountant to issue the check and get it to you as soon as possible. I will be out of town for a couple of days and might not be able to check my emails but I will get in touch with you as soon as I get back.

Looking forward to talking to you soon too. Stay blessed.

 

Regards,

Pitt.

 

------------ and now for the clincher! notice all the 'chatty' details and bad spelling

 

Subject: URGENT!!!

Dear x,

 

I am sorry for not getting to you earlier. I have been out of town since thursday and I gave your info to my accountant for him to send the check to you. I instructed him to send you certified check for $550.0 and he just told me this afternoon that he sent you a certified check for $2,500.0 which he was meant to send to the travel agent arranging the travel plans for Winnie's mum from London. This is a very serious situation for me because part of the money is meant for her travel expenses while the rest is for her wedding/Anniversary shopping in Paris. She's already missed the first flight reservation for her because the travel agent could not get the funds needed to confirm the reservations.

Now our Big Day is very close and I want her to do her shopping and get here on time. Mum has another reservation for saturday the 13th, Oct. and the travel agent Mr Jack Kenner needs to get the necessary funds in order to confirm this booking and according to my accountant, you are meant to receive the check on or before friday, 12th Oct.

I don't know what else to do in this situation and I will have to ask you to please after receiving the certified check, send the difference after removing the $550.0 for you to Mr Kenner for him to confirm Mum's flight bookings. I am sorry that I have to thrust this responsibility at you but I have no other viable option right now, the ceremony's very close

and she has already exhausted her resources in London.

The certified check has already been written in your name and there's no other way we can get the money from you to Mr Kenner that wont delay and extend Mum's stay by another week. The fact that she does not have money with her over there is giving me alot of cause for concern because I do not want her to suffer any undue hardship resulting from a mistake that she knows nothing about. I will contact Mr Kenner and get back to you with the details of how to send the money to him and I hope this is not too much of a responsibility that I am thrusting at you.

Please I will like to hear from you immediately. I thank you so much for your time and I await your response.

 

Thanks,

Pitt.

 

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I thought you might be interested in hearing of this scammer's technique! Search the internet and you can find references to some UK certified checks that will actually cash, and afterwards, some weeks later, the bank will find that the check is a fraud and will demand the money back from the unfortunate musician who was naive enough to cash the check and drive the 200 miles!

 

After his last email, I emailed him and told him to not waste any more of my time! Never heard back from him. Good Riddance!

 

Musicians Beware!

[Li10]

thanks, man. It doesn't really matter to me because A: i'm not in america and B: i don't gig, but on behalf of all HCers who are susceptible to this scam - thanks.

[GreenAsJade]

If your bank asks for money back after clearing a cheque, you should change banks. "Clearing" a cheque means securing the funds.

 

Nasty scam though: good for the warning.

 

GaJ

[sharnrock]

wow. You'd think if he had enough money to have his accountant send all of his checks for him 2k wouldn't be that big of a deal. I'd find out where you're supposed to mail the check and just show up with a bat and pepper spray instead.

[daddymack]

one has to wonder if anyone is gullible enough to fall for this...did the $2500 check arrive? Cash it and keep it and see if he ever contacts you

 

that is pretty low, though and the scam portion is really just ridiculously blatant...

[guitarsjb]

That's new twist on an old scam.

[ZachMetal]

Lol. I should drive over there. I'm down that way weekly.

[hans_the_double]

 

If your bank asks for money back after clearing a cheque, you should change banks. "Clearing" a cheque means securing the funds. Nasty scam though: good for the warning. GaJ

 

 

 

if i'm not mistaken, u.s. banking regulations require a certified check to clear no matter what. therefore, i deposit the (bad) certified check, the funds are made available to me without securing the funds from the other bank (because it is guaranteed, of course), i mail my (good) check, and then two weeks later, when my bank has failed numerous times to get the money from the other bank, they take it back. as someone already pointed out, this is just a nigerian businessman scam for musicians.

[BlueStrat]

It's the "Exiled Nigerian Widow" scam.

 

This is a more creative twist, but the same type nonetheless.

[magicfishy]

yep, it's the same old story...parasite scammers...

[zookie]

Yeah, I've been approached with a similar scam. The first contact was an email with a ton of grammatical and spelling errors. The person said they were planning a birthday party for their beloved wife, who loves our kind of music. He said he was overseas at the moment, but would be back in the state later.

 

That was the intro. When I responded with our availability and fees, his reply was quick and launched into some scheme where I would cash his check at my bank and bring the cash with me to the gig.

 

That was just nuts.

 

The best advice is to be cautious when a stranger contacts us. Don't give out too much personal information and ask specific questions.

[Poker99]

Another reason to hate marriage.