Please let us know what happens on the call. Blessings pat
While on the subject, has anyone had any experience with funding companies? They loan money based on credit card sales, advance you money and take a percent of future sales. Only those with personal experience, please.
Many credit card companies offer funding to their clients. In this
type of instance they offer you funds against your future credit card
sales. The money is usually recovered over a 6 month period. Funding
is only provided for business purposes, for example, a restaurant has
a fire in its kitchen and needs to replace some equipment immediately
or a company needs to add employees and involves purchase of some
office equipment. The interest rate is higher than what one would
normally get from a bank but there are times when a company needs
some funds and your bank isn’t willing or able to make a loan. The
amount of money funded depends on the amount of credit card sales you
have over 6 months to one year prior to the request. This type of
situation is usually only offered to a company that is already doing
business with that credit card company. A competitive credit card
company might make such an offer but it would require that you change
companies and agree to a two or three year commitment. The amount
funded would still be based on your record of credit card sales.
I missed your first message so not sure what the details might be. I
work with a company that builds websites, provides online marketing
strategy and provides credit card processing. If I can provide any
more please contact me and I’ll see if I can answer your
questions.
Pat Gebes
Kelley,
My brother has a recorder [snip] at the beginning of the conversation I will say that this call is being recorded (Florida is a 2-party state, both speakers must agree).
Just FYI, the meaning of a 2-party state means that both parties
must be informed that a call is being recorded. Long as you notify
him, whether he agrees or not, if he continues the call and doesn’t
hang up, you can legally record it.
Michele
Hi Everyone,
I wanted to alert people as to a little better than average (in the
beginning) scam we recently received. We received an email from a
woman who said she was from Baltimore, married last year and moved
to Australia. Wanted to know if we accept MC and could we ship to
Australia. So far, sounded like a reasonable inquiry and I answered
in the affirmative to both answers. I then received an email asking
for 4 “items” she wanted including two rings that were both
engagement rings so that seemed a bit strange. Then she wrote back
(see email below). If you look at the phrasing the English is a
little off to be American English (she said she was from Baltimore)
and of course wanting things picked up. Jim and I were both a big
suspicious so I put her name and the word “scam” in google search
and about the same time we received our inquiry someone also did on
etsy and was asking on a forum there whether others thought it was a
scam or not (he only had the first email at that point so the
responders were divided in half as to whether they thought scam or
not). So be aware. and realize that sometimes the first
email/inquiry seems reasonable, but watch the follow-up for things
that might not be so correct.
Her email: “Please kindly calculate the total cost of the items, so
that you can get the order processed for me. i will email you my
credit card account for the payment of the order.
Concerning the shipment, the likes of UPS, DHL and others always
don’t take care of the charges down here. Charges like handling,
customs and duties etc. We have experienced such situation before
and i don’t want to experience such thing again, you do not need to
worry about the stress involve and all documentations because i have
a shipping company that have delivered to me in the past, i really
like their services so i will be having my shipping agent come to
pickup the order directly from you because i already have some large
merchandise with them in which after picking up the items they will
then deliver it to me here in Australia. So i want you to get back
to me with the size and weight items.”
Interesting don’t you think?
Terry Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts, LLC
I have had similar inquiries asking if I accept Paypal, etc. This
seems to be a variation on the we have a lot of money in a secret
account by a person with my last name in Nigeria, killed in an auto
accident, etc.
John
Hi Terry,
I’ve also had some scams. The wordage is usually not good and then
I’m told they would send a cashiers check (first sign) and that they
had the shipping taken care of so would I please box it up and send
it to them.
Jennifer Friedman
enamelist, jewelry artisan
Ventura, CA
the old I’m in one place and my agent will. . do x for me scam! it
began as soon as people started using alternatives to ebay once ebay
finally cracked down on primarily Chinese sellers with multiple
accounts defrauding buyers (I got over 268 bucks recovered from a
scam I didn’t recognize until I received the parcel by post and the
metals were all counterfeit (plated) This was 10 + years ago. . if
there is an agent or shipper that will collect the payment or it’s
all arranged for by the person sending the email and they even want
to give you, say, 100 extra dollars for doing business with them
(usually they’ll say " we’re prepared to give you an extra thousand
dollars for the hassle of doing it in such an unorthodox manner "
involved r, or to “verify” your address when its an unsolicited
offer, report the email as spam to the FCC or through your browser’s
email program / or mail handler. the. scheme you are discussing is a
classic scam. . rer
Its your business so its your choice as to what terms you have for
such an order. You could say, for export orders, payment in full is
required in advance via bankers draft, and you only ship via UPS or
equivalent. Or the shipping agent brings US currency dollars to pay
you cash on collection. Otherwise dont touch it.
Definitely sounds like a scam,
I live in Australia. did they give you an address? CIA
I just love to have games with these idiots. I like to get them
interested for days (if possible) than tell to go where it’s Hot!
This gets them so-o interested and then I ignore them. :>)
Gerry!
the combination of the quirky grammar and the insistence on using
their own ‘shipping company’ are two flags for me. . it’s little
things, like dropping plurals and sometimes reversing the natural
order of words. like: “the likes of UPS, DHL and others always don’t
take care” where it should be 'don’t always take care"…you often
see things like this in non native speaking English because whatever
language they normally speak, doesn’t use the same order (such as
French often puts the adjectives after an item, or uses Ne and Pas
around a verb for a negative instead of “not” before in English etc).
The shipping company is definitely a red flag, as is the size and
weight when it comes to jewelry! How heavy are 4 items of jewelry
going to be? as opposed to something like paintings or sculptures!
Very often, at the beginnings of these scam emails, they will not
even say what they want to buy from you, but merely “items from your
shop”. They will often want you to send them your email address, and
if you check the to field, it will often be to several people, not
just you.
Jeanne
Its your business so its your choice as to what terms you have for such an order.
Oh we do have our own terms. We do not even bother communicating
with scammers if we can avoid it as it is a waste of time. But we
wanted to share this because it was a bit better in the initial
contact email than the typical scam bait.
James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
We usually experience more mail-order scam attempts during the
holidays. Jewelers hire temporary help. Frantic scenarios seem more
plausible. You get tired and let your guard down. All this makes for
better hunting for the fraudulent “buyer”.
Fortunately the scammers usually make mistakes. Bad English.
Ordering rings without caring about the size. Asking for heavy chains
that are not on our website. Shipment of high-end luxury goods to
third world countries where prices are probably lower than ours.
When in doubt, call the bank that issued the credit card. You can
get that from the first 4 digits. Ask for the fraud investigation
department. For some unfathomable reason, the voice authorization
operators are not expected to spot actual crime. They just say if the
charge will go through, or not, at this particular moment. Ask for
the fraud office if you are suspicious. Just because you get an
authorization number does not mean there will not be a charge back
sometime in the future.
Stephen Walker
I’m from Baltimore, so I can say with authority that she is NOT
speaking Ballmer. 
Not only not Baltimore, Maryland, but I would also guess not
Baltimore, Ohio nor Baltimore, County Cork, Ireland.
In fact, she sounds like Mrs. Josephine, who writes to me “Dearly
Beloved” from Togo, where she sits by the side of the road begging
because she has no legs. She and her wireless connection. .
- Lorraine
Probably not from Baltimore, but she must be related to the writer
of the scam I received from someone claiming to visiting London, and
who was in dire straits. She addressed me as "My dearest friend,"
and gave me a sob story about having been mugged and having lost all
her credit cards, check book, passport and money. She claimed she
was desperate, but was getting no help from the British authorities,
or the American counsul. She pleaded for me to send her money
immediately as she was practically starving, sleeping on street,
etc. etc. etc. Alma
I rarely post in answer to dilemnas on these pages because I usually
feel–with some few exceptions–that the folks answering the problems
presented here are usually far more knowledgeable than I. However
this “scam” business is a pet peeve of mine. I got caught once and
they’ve tried to get at me numerous times. So. as briefly as
possible.
Many years ago. not long after my infancy. I received an order from
Romania. $800.00 plus. Credit card checked out. I shipped. Money in
my account in a few days. out of my account a few days later. I
emailed client and he responded and said–and I paraphrase: I am not
giving you your money back. You were easy to cheat. I have access to
unused credit card numbers.
I called the FBI-Police-Interpol-and finally Secret Service. They
handle credit card fraud. The gentleman I spoke to was very nice. He
was kind. He was patient with me. And I suspect he felt sorry for me.
In the softest tones he had at his muster he said: Mr. Mark. You
surely understand that we can’t go to Romania for you to pursue
$800.00, don’t you?
Credit card companies–at least back then–did not check if a credit
card was good. They only checked to see if it was bad. If it was not
bad. it was good. And so an unused credit card number with all the
seeming legitimate numerical sequences. would pass. It may be better
today. I’m much more cautious.
Checks? Wait 15 business days. then one day more. I’ve had a check
bounce on the 16th day and the account closed. Thankfully. I did not
ship.
Do not ship if they say rush unless you’re comfortable with your
client. I am far more at ease with frugal customers who watch their
pennies and save where they can.
Anyway. my two cents for whatever it’s worth. There are other tales.
but on and on stuff is boring. Hope this helps a tad.
Benjamin Mark.
Hi Charles,
They did give an address which I Googled. the postal code was wrong
as it put it in a downtown retail area but the code they gave showed
a very small house in a residential area. …
I wonder how many a day they send out? I did some more searching on
the wording of the email and found some t-shirt companies that had
gotten similar emails. …
Terry Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts, LLC
Smart way to go. I just got burned by some Afghans dealing in
tourmalines. bait & switch. never again!!!
I was thinking that we have a pretty large network in this forum,
and I wonder if the scammers would be as bold if they knew we have
friends everywhere 
CIA
I wonder how many a day they send out? I did some more searching on the wording of the email and found some t-shirt companies that had gotten similar emails. ..
I would still be interested in “casing the joint” so to speak, as
long as it’s in NSW. If it’s another state, I have friends 
Regards Charles A.