Scammer / Identity thief Thread poster: Arturo Villasenor Garcia
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Scammer / Identity thief
I was contacted by "Kemar Smith" [email protected] with a direct email titled "inquiry" the email's content said he "got my email from a translators directory" and wanted a quote.
The first thing I noticed was that his emails were poorly written, I hadn't read the scam guide here at proz until now and I realize he was probably after my money or my identity.
He asked m... See more Scammer / Identity thief
I was contacted by "Kemar Smith" [email protected] with a direct email titled "inquiry" the email's content said he "got my email from a translators directory" and wanted a quote.
The first thing I noticed was that his emails were poorly written, I hadn't read the scam guide here at proz until now and I realize he was probably after my money or my identity.
He asked me for a quote as he had a book he needed to translate to different languages. He sent me the document which was a poorly edited book in French about Homeschooling and right away he agreed to the payment and told me to begin the translation as his "client" approved and was going to make a deposit to my Mexican account.
I gave him my account number and my full name. He also asked me for my address and I gave it him.
Question for you guys: is it OK to give out my address, or under no circumstances?
I did not begin the translation obviously and after a week I wrote him back asking if he still wanted the translation, and he said he was in the hospital, etc.
Then he told me to check for the payment as his client had already done it, which I did and obviously it wasn't. But then he told me something completely unexpected: he had sent a check to my address. He didn't mention that before, and he said that he could pay me through other method and just send the check back to him or something like that.
Then I told him I was vacationing in the USA and that was going back to Mexico in a week, and he asked for my address here in the USA which I unfortunately gave to him. Then I told him I had an account in the USA as well and he sent me the following lame emails:
Email 1:
My client just confirm to me that these are the details needed for the
transfer to be done. Account Holders Full Name:
Bank Name:
Bank Phone:
bank toll free:
Bank Address:
Your Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Bank Routing Number:
Checking Account Number:
Login and Password to the Acct
Driver License Number:
Swift Code :
Ssn:
DOB:
Login and Pass of the Acct
Site Key( security question & answer ) :
Answer :
Email2:
Hello,
I know it is risky giving me all that details about your account but I
will advice you to open a new wellsfergo account in my name and then
send me the details but you will be in care of the account as the
manager of the account.
Get back to me ASAP.
Regards.
I told him I couldn't send him the SSN and then he started to push:
Email3:
That is what I was told by my client who want to wire the money to
your account. He told me the money cant be sent without the SSN. So
what do we do now?
Email3:
Hello,
My client said before he can send the money that he needs your SSN for
security purpose.
Get back to me with ASAP.
Regards
So far this little rat has my full name, Mexican address, and the Address I'm staying right now in the USA. I already told my parents to be careful with anything suspicious. Can he still do harm?
I did some research about him:
He's apparently registered in a French site, there's an error with his page though: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CFcQFjAB&url=http://www.intellitec.net/TransProExpress/[email protected][email protected]&NP=1&LANGUES=&PAYS=&RDESC=&ei=KjYSUNToIIW69QThxoCIBQ&usg=AFQjCNGDLDQVeQWuczBQQgOKIVnoCniQSA
And the IP results:
Source:
The source host name is "mail-ob0-f181.google.com" and the source IP address is 209.85.214.181.
Geo-Location Information
Country United States
State/Region CA
City Mountain View
Latitude 37.4192
Longitude -122.0574
Area Code 650
Geo-Location Map ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tony M
France
Local time: 08:33
Member
French to English
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SITE LOCALIZER | NEVER give ANY information | Jul 27, 2012 |
He probably can't do a lot of harm with just your address information, but still, for future reference, I would advise NEVER giving out ANY of your personal details to anyone who hasn't already volunteered to give you theirs.
Arturo Villasenor Garcia wrote:
He sent me the document which was a poorly edited book in French about Homeschooling
Now that's interesting! This home schooling text has been going round for ages (see previous posts on ProZ.com), but in EN... judging by the fact that you said it was badly written, I suspect some poor mug got scammed and actually DID the translation, and the scammers are now using it to broaden their horizons! It would be handy to know WHO did it, at least we could avoid using their services for EN > FR translations, so some good might have come of it 
(Hint: maybe take a look at the document 'poperties', you might get some useful clues...)
[Edited at 2012-07-27 17:53 GMT]
| | | | Thayenga 
Germany
Local time: 08:33
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| Bank details | Jul 28, 2012 |
Well, think about it. When someone requests a quote from you on a project, then why would s/he need your bank details at this point? Or even your physical address?
Except in extremely rare cases, I always politely inform the new client that all money transfer related information, including my address details, will be provided on the invoice.
Not even my CV contains my physical address but only my email contact data. There's a note at the top of the CV stating that conta... See more Well, think about it. When someone requests a quote from you on a project, then why would s/he need your bank details at this point? Or even your physical address?
Except in extremely rare cases, I always politely inform the new client that all money transfer related information, including my address details, will be provided on the invoice.
Not even my CV contains my physical address but only my email contact data. There's a note at the top of the CV stating that contact information will be available upon request.
Thus far a "legitimate" clients were happy with this arrangement. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | He also wants | Jul 29, 2012 |
your bank login and password??
Why? So he can go in and drain every cent out of that account?
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No honest player will ever ask you for any of your passwords.
Enrique
| | | | | That was to obvious | Jul 29, 2012 |
Well that was to obvious, actually I found that email in the morning immediately followed by another one that said he only needed my SSN. He probably thought it was to obvious.
Worst thing is, these morons can't even write, he wrote the following in one of his emails:
"What os the name TP address it to get back to me with name and address"
Benno Groeneveld wrote:
your bank login and password??
Why? So he can go in and drain every cent out of that account?
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The IP address you got is merely the one from gmail (Google is based in Mountain View).
So that won't help you tracking down the person
| | | | | he's still trying! | Jul 30, 2012 |
So in the last email I sent him, I told him that my SSN was "GO$#%#%YOURSELF" Not very classy I know, but I thought the message was clear but apparently was not clear enough.
Today I received a new email from this guy saying that he sent a check to my address, I have the feeling that he probably did. You know the check trick that will arrive with a bigger quantity in order to get me to send him some cash back and then the check bounces.
So the question is, can I use th... See more So in the last email I sent him, I told him that my SSN was "GO$#%#%YOURSELF" Not very classy I know, but I thought the message was clear but apparently was not clear enough.
Today I received a new email from this guy saying that he sent a check to my address, I have the feeling that he probably did. You know the check trick that will arrive with a bigger quantity in order to get me to send him some cash back and then the check bounces.
So the question is, can I use this check as evidence or something useful to help a police investigation to bring this guy down? ▲ Collapse
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