ATTN: Scam for gigging guitarists

Costs are rising and times are tough.
Please consider a donation to keep this
place going.

Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.

This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.

We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.

You are logged in as Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >>Discussions >>Off Topic >>

Page: [1]

Message

<< Newer Topic Older Topic >>

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

ATTN: Scam for gigging guitarists

Hey guys, just wanted you to be aware of a scam going around that targets, weirdly, wedding guitarists!

It is a variation on the olde Nigerian Scam, but much more sophisticated. This person contacted me through wedding wire and booked me for a real location on a plausible date. He had me make out a contract. Everything was apparently normal except that his English was just a touch off and over-polite. He also emailed back and forth a bit too much.

The last email I received eventually contained the kicker. He would be sending me a check for more than my fee and he wanted me to pay the dressmaker, since that person didn't accept checks. Larding the story was his claim that his fiance just had a miscarriage three days ago and was receiving treatment.

The reason I know without a doubt it was a scam is that I googled the text of the last email and someone else had already reproduced it on a forum discussing scams! I also googled his phone number and see that he is apparently targeting wedding guitarists. You know, we are all rich, right? I guess that "specializing" in this way enabled him to be more convincing.

In any case, you guys probably would have figured it out anyway, but now you are warned. The really creepy thing is this guy has one of my contracts even though he is just a scammer. Please tell your other friends about this so that no one gets burned! Below I'll put a link to other people who have been contacted and the actual email.

Link to discussion: http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-757-606-8610

"The email: It's a must for me to inform you what I have been going through for some days now. I intended to keep it to myself but I just have to let you know. My fiance had miscarriage 3 days ago which the doctor said was due to stress. This has really given me tough time psychologically and emotionally since I got to know about this. I've been assured she is responding to treatment based on the doctor's report given to me this morning. I will be glad if you can be there for us in any form and remember us in your prayers, it's not been easy.

She is responding to treatment gradually. So, please bear with us and do not cancel our booking with you.

I was informed the payment was issued out hopefully by Wednesday or Thursday you will get it. She is responding to treatment gradually. So, please bear with us and do not cancel our booking with you. Be expecting the payment this week and as soon as you get the pay check, have it cashed at your bank and deduct your part payment as agreed, send the difference in balance to the bridal shop manager whose information will be provided later. The reason being that he requested to be paid via western union or money gram, and the company I work with can not do that, please I am counting on you to take care of this for us please. I will be traveling today from work to West Dray ton in England to see her and I will be back to work on Monday. Thanking you in advance as I look forward to reading from you soon.

Don't forget to remember us in your prayers.

Thanks, I await your response soon."

_____________________________

Connect with me on Facebook, all the cool kids are doing it.
https://www.facebook.com/migueldemariaZ

Arizona Wedding Music Guitar

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 16 2016 14:08:03

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: ATTN: Scam for gigging guitarists (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Wow, pretty despicable. It's like when people target job sites and steal all the employees tools. Your stealing from a regular person who's just struggling to survive you piece of ****!!!!

_____________________________

\m/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 16 2016 14:58:24

El Kiko

Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland

RE: ATTN: Scam for gigging guitarists (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

quote:

weirdly, wedding guitarists!

that is wierd and very specific ...too much to be of use its probably used for other type of bookings as well ....or he just hates wedding guitarrists...!!!

Oh i see looking around now ,,its also for wedding photographers and a few other things ,, yep ask you to pay for things with some half assed excuse to recupe later ...yeah right ....
well the internet is useful for looking up those kind of things ....

Meanwhile I'm still waiting for that Nigerian prince to send me half of his inheritance for me helping him to claim it with my bank details ......

any day now guys .... i mean, after all hes a prince ,, gotta trust him ...

_____________________________

Don't trust Atoms.....they make up everything.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 16 2016 15:41:07

Mark2

Posts: 1871
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco

RE: ATTN: Scam for gigging guitarists (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Interesting. At my day gig, I'm subjected to similar scams all the time. Pretty easy to recognize. One guy wanted me to use his credit card for payment and charge extra to his card for freight, then pay the freight company cash when they picked up the material. I asked him if the freight company takes credit cards. He said no. I said that was too bad because I was going to use the same fake credit card that he was going to give me.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 16 2016 16:01:54