Have you gotten an inquiry that looks like this:
Hello I am James Tobby and i am hearing impaired i need to know if you can handle website design for a new company and i also need to know if you accept credit cards as form of payment ?
I have been getting these with increasing frequency. The name always changes, but the content in the first message is always the same. First, they make sure you know they are hearing-impaired and then want to know if you accept credit cards.
When I got the first one of these, I responded with my typical questions and then the next email from them looks something like this:
Here is the job details
I have small scale business which i want to turn into large scale business now and the company is based on importing and exporting of Agriculture products such as Kola Nut, Gacillia Nut and Cocoa so i need a best of the best layout design for it. Can you handle that for me ?. so i need you to check out this site but i need something more perfect than this if its possible. the site would only be informational, so i need you to give me an estimate based on the site i gave you to check out, the estimate should include hosting and i want the same page as the site i gave you to check out and i have a private project consultant, he has the text content and the logos for the site.
Note:
1. I want the same number of pages with the example site i gave you to check excluding videos and blogs.
2. I want only English language
3. I don’t have a domain yet but i want the domain name as rootsnherbs.com
4. you will be updating the site for me.
5. i will be providing the images, logos and content for the site.
6. i want the site up and running before ending of next month.
7. My budget is $4000 to $8000
Kindly get back to me with an estimate asap
This almost seems legit, right. There’s information on what they want, a budget, etc. But not so fast. If you continue to do exchanges with this person, and even go so far as to send a proposal, they will request something odd. Wouldn’t you know that their “project consultant” doesn’t take credit cards? And since you do, they’d like you to charge the full amount to the credit card, then send a payment to their project manager.
Now it’s starting to sound fishy.
There are a lot of people who may not have heard about it, and may think that a great website project just fell into their lap. The reason they claim to be hearing-impaired is so they don’t have to talk to you on the phone, because either they are not good enough actors or else they have thick accents they don’t want you to hear.
What happens if you agree? Well, you charge the card. It goes through, no problem. You send the payment and they cash it. Then you never hear from them again. Who you DO hear from is the credit card company about the fraudulent charge.
And if you take credit cards but haven’t experienced this, if someone calls their credit card company and claims your charge is fraudulent, they take the money right out of your bank account, with very little notice, I might add.
And if you actually sent a check to that person, not only do you lose the original deposit, but you lose the money you sent to their “project consultant” as well.
That’s when you are really in trouble.
I keep getting these messages, almost weekly now, and I can only assume that it’s working and that’s why they keep sending them. This is my warning. Never agree to send money to another contractor on your client’s behalf. This will never end well.
And to these scammers, please STOP.
Amy Masson
Amy is the co-owner, developer, and website strategist for Sumy Designs. She's been making websites with WordPress since 2006 and is passionate about making sure websites are as functional as they are beautiful.
Also FYI you can report scams like this here: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/scam-emails
Just received a very similar sounding email…
Thank you for the warning!
Think I might send this on to Joe Lycett.
First email was just:
“Hello,
Good Morning, How are you doing today?. Do you do Website Design?.
Thanks,
Marsha John
Marsha Sport Wear
marshajohn850@gmail.com”
Thanks for your responds, below is my project details.
Here is the job details I have small scale business which i want to turn into large scale business now it located in Manchester and the company is based on importing and exporting of Sport wears such as running jacket, jersey,dance wear,socks, boots etc for both adult youth ladies and girls so i need a best of the best layout design for it. Can you handle that for me ? The site would only be informational, so i need you to give me an estimate based on my want below, the estimate should include hosting and i have a private project consultant, he has the text content and the logos for the site.
WHAT I WANT-
I need a very simple informational website that shows the products that I sell.
(4 main pages)
HOME PAGE
ABOUT US
OUR PRODUCTS (gallery) – about 25 products for now and adding 5-10 new products every month. I want the product to be classified into 4 pages , which are
Male : Adult and chidren , Female : Adult and children. so that the customers can get full details.
CONTACT US – with a form to fill out so that they can get in contact with me.
Domain Name i want- “marshawearforsport.co.uk” or anything along that line.
TIMELINE- this should go “live” in 3 months.
Note:
1. I want only English language
2. You will be updating the site for me.
3. I will be proving the images, logos and content for the site.
4. I want the site up and running before ending of next two month.
5. My budget is £1000 to £5000
6. No shopping ability
7. The site will be mobile friendly
8. I don’t want sitemap
9. I have 25 product to be on it.
Kindly get back to me with:
(1) an estimate
(2) your cell phone number
(3) And will like to know if you are the owner ??
(4) Do you accept credit cards as payment ?
Glad I read this. Just dodged a bullet after reading it.
Here is the email I just received today.
————————–
Hello ,
I have small scale business which I want to turn into a large-scale business now is located in MO and the company is based on importing and exporting of agriculture products such as Kola Nut, Gacillia Nut and Cocoa so I need a best of the best layout design for it. Can you handle that for me? I need you to check out this site but I need something more perfect than this if its possible
http://www.americasfarmers.com the site would only be informational, so I need you to give me an estimate based on the site I gave you to check out. The estimate should include best Hosting/Domain and the pages might vary from the site I gave you to check out and I have a private project consultant/expertise, he has the text content and the logos for the site.
My Budget is $1,500 to $3,800
I want you to find out this domain name for me http://www.greenerfarm.net
You will be buying a better/preferable domain for me if my suggested domain is already taken, so it should be part of your estimate.
I will send you more breakdown about numbers of pages and some more useful information in my next email if that will help your estimation perfectly.
I am not the CEO of the company but I am hired to be in charge of it been a family Attorney for a client.
Regards,
Kevin
Hey there guys !
I have this morning had the scam tried on me from an initial message asking if i did web design to the following received mail
Thanks for your responds, below is my project details
Here is the job details I have small scale business which i want to turn into large scale business now it located in Manchester and the company is based on importing and exporting of Sport wears such as running jacket, jersey,dance wear,socks, boots etc for both adult youth ladies and girls so i need a best of the best layout design for it. Can you handle that for me ? The site would only be informational, so i need you to give me an estimate based on my want below, the estimate should include hosting and i have a private project consultant, he has the text content and the logos for the site.
WHAT I WANT-
I need a very simple informational website that shows the products that I sell.
(4 main pages)
HOME PAGE
ABOUT US
OUR PRODUCTS (gallery) – about 25 products for now and adding 5-10 new products every month. I want the product to be classified into 4 pages , which are
Male : Adult and chidren , Female : Adult and children. so that the customers can get full details.
CONTACT US – with a form to fill out so that they can get in contact with me.
Domain Name i want- “marshasportwear.com” or anything along that line.
TIMELINE- this should go “live” in 3 months.
Note:
1. I want only English language
2. You will be updating the site for me.
3. I will be proving the images, logos and content for the site.
4. I want the site up and running before ending of next two month.
5. My budget is £1000 to £5000
6. No shopping ability
7. The site will be mobile friendly
8. I don’t want sitemap
9. I have 25 product to be on it.
Kindly get back to me with:
(1) an estimate
(2) your cell phone number
(3) And will like to know if you are the owner ??
(4) Do you accept credit cards as payment ?
Regards,
Marsha John
Marsha Sport Wear
Marshajohn850@gmail.com
they do indeed want to scam you
I’ve just got this myself…
Good Morning,
How are you doing today?. Do you do Website Design?
Regards,
Marsha John
Marsha Sport Wear
Marshajohn850@gmail.com
Time to play along and waste their time I think.
Thank you. You saved me from getting spammed. This guy won’t accept paypal or square as payments and wanted me to setup a account on Stripe.com and said he will provide me with his card details so that I can charge. Thats when I found something is suspicious but still have a benefit of doubt to him
His english was broken in emails and in the phone call but he was insisting me to use Stripe.com via text and surprisingly his english was very good in those texts. This is when i google this number 201 608 3534 and i landed here.
Thank you Amy
I wrote this post in 2015, and yet these messages are still coming. They sometimes take a few different forms now. I’ve had one that said he was a doctor… “and do you take credit card as form of payment.”
This guy says he is now in hospital so won’t have time to frequently reply. He wants me to take care of his logo and design costs from some other company and later I can charge him.
Lol. Surprisingly he is not hesitant to talk to us over the phone
Thanks for sharing this! I’m a life coach and I got a similar message in my spam box. It was suspect, but it looked like it was from a legit email address, so I replied and didn’t hear anything back. Then, when I got a similar text to my google voice number, I decided to look into it and found your article! Thanks for shedding light on this!
I got one this week.
The context is very much the same, however some additional content is added to make it more legit looking.
The response email contained attached some basic wireframe designs, supposed to have come from the designer.
They then wanted my proposal. Thereafter, the ‘can you take credit card, and can you pay my designer’s came in.
Seems a bit more long winded to try and make it look more legit.
I got one today, claiming from a furniture store.
I’ve also had one claiming to be a doctor. If they wanted to do this right, they’d stop with the “and do you accept credit cards as method of payment?”
ME TOO! How do you stop them?
I fell for sharing my cell # as it came to me from a third party recommendation! This one was from Robert Thompson claiming that he was starting GREAT ELMS furniture company. The all-caps and weird spacing / language made me feel strange, like “MY WEBSITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION WHICH WOULD BE REGISTER VERY SOON” and “PHOTO ALL ARE WITH THE PROJECT CONSULTANT.” After sharing my #, he sent an immediate text saying he would send more information via email, as well as a “do get back to me with a quote.” Here’s the “more details” email:
thompsonrobert641@gmail.com and (657)206-4892
Here are more details.
GREAT ELMS
THIS NATURAL SOUNDING, ORGANIC NAME FEELS VERY ESTABLISHED AND EVOKES COMFORTING RELIABILITY, WITH REFERENCES TO GROWTH. IT COULD BE A REAL PLACE OR JUST IMAGINED HAVEN. POWERFUL AND POSITIVE
WHAT IT SHOULD MEAN TO MY CUSTOMERS
WHOSOEVER THAT BUY OUR FURNITURE SHOULD BE GUARANTEE OF ‘SATISFACTION AND CONVENIENCE’ THAT WHAT IT SHOULD MEAN TO MY CUSTOMERS.
PURPOSE OF BUSINESS
THE PURPOSE OF MY BUSINESS IS TO BRING MODERN FURNITURE THAT WILL PROVIDE SATISFACTION FOR EVERYONE.
WHO MY BUSINESS SERVES
MY CUSTOMERS AND OTHER THAT ARE WILLING TO PATRONIZE OUR COMPANY.
WHAT MAKES MY COMPANY UNIQUE TO ITS CUSTOMERS
WHATS MAKES GREAT ELMS UNIQUES TO CUSTOMER IS ITS NAME AND STYLE.
OUR PERSONALITY
WE HAVE AN EFFECTIVE PERSONALITY
WHAT THE BRAND SHOULD REPRESENT
MY BRAND SHOULD REPRESENT “HIGH QUALITY OPTION”
BRAND TONE
THE TONE OF THE BRAND SHOULD BE “FRIENDLY”.
MY TARGETS AND MISSION.
1) My mission is to serve consumers and industrial market segment with leading edge product that will satisfy their needs in functionality,comfort and style.
2) My core values are Effectiveness and Efficiency.
3) Most of our customer are from the age of 35 and I will like to target their income demographics.
4) I want my company to be perceived as Professional, I want them to know that we offer best prices and there’s a discount for every product when you are buying more than 3 pieces.
5) I would like to compete with other furniture company. My main competitor is IKEA, my favorite products is Accent Tables.
6) For colors I would like Black, Orange and white( let me know what you think about that)
7) In the next Ten years I would like my company to be known worldwide.
Important elements that I would like to stress are:
Friendly
Modern
High Quality
Intimate
Secure
Positive
Convenient
Effective
Efficient
Value
For logo inspirations you can look at brands like Crate&Barrel, America Signature Furniture, or Williams Sonoma
Thanks for sharing this. I got this one today.
I feel like it comes in cycles. I won’t get them for a while and then they’ll start up again.
Got this one!
I quoted him ONE MEEEEELION DOLLARS!
🙂
I got this yesterday, I suspected fraud so thank you for posting this. I’m sorry I wasted 15 minutes of my life. I told him I could no longer work on the project because I’ve been arrested for fraud and I’m not sure the feds will let me work on my business from prison. Irony appears to be lost on him.
He was going by Scott Simmerok, by the way. Said he found me on Behance, contacted me via text. What a POS.
So glad I decided to google this “guys” phone number! Same exact scam. He did tell me he had issues with my contract and was diagnosed with lung cancer so he may not be able to pay my deposit right away – HUGE RED FLAG.
Other red flags:
– he was vague about how he found me
– he asked me to set up quickbooks invoicing because he was having issues with Paypal
– he constantly texted me instead of the typical email
– he didn’t want to have a voice to voice phone call
Alias: Scott Simmerok
email: simmerokscott@gmail.com
phone: (657)206-4892
Project: Logo and catalog design
Company name: Great Elms
It’s a newly established company so I would need you to design a logo for the company. I would send you the brand details.
The company is based on sales of furniture such as sofa, king bench bed, tables, office chairs, kitchen cabinets etc.
The size of the catalog should be 8” X 5”.
Pages: 24 including front and back cover.
The full text content and all images for the catalog are approved. Images will be sent to you in high resolution. All images would be used as received, you won’t retouch any.
Mission, value, vision should be added in the catalog. I’ll send that to you.
For my website I don’t know if you can handle that but I’ll need the catalog and logo completed first so as for the website to be designed around those. If you can’t handle the website it’s not an issue I would find another designer for that.
OMG I just got the same sort of email form Michael Hopes, asking for the same logo plus catalog 24 pages 8.5 by 11.
I just exposed him thanks to you guys!! SAME EMAIL!!
his name was: Guan David
guandavid666@gmail.com
+1-530-4815609
Holy Moly! Thank you guys for sharing (especially Maeve)! I knew something wasn’t right (which is why I’m here) -but I was going to send a proposal…
It all started with this text: Hi, I’m Paul. I’ll like to know if you offer design services, do let me know. Thanks.
…said he came across my profile on Creative Hotlist.
Alias: Paul William (heloowilliam@gmail.com)
Phone: (317) 943-3322
Below are his “details for the job” -funny thing, besides the misspellings, it was the all caps that got me to dig a little deeper with Google 🙂
It is detailed; it’s a newly established company.
The company is really based on sales of furniture such as Ottomans, Desk lamps, Sectional, Buffets & Sideboards, Counter & Bar Stools, Kitchen Cabinet, Sofa, Office Chair, Accent tables, King bench bed etc.
v Company Name: LAMBENT DREAMS FURNITURE & HOME.
v MY WEBSITE IS UNDER FABRICATION WHICH WOULD BE REGISTERED SOON.
v I DON’T HAVE LOGO BUT NEED ONE MADE-TO-ORDER BY YOU.
v THE FULL TEXT CONTENT AND ALL IMAGES FOR THE CATALOG WILL BE SUBMITTED TO YOU BY THE PROJECT CONSULTANT YOU’LL JUST HANDLE THE LAYOUT.
v THE BROCHURE SHOULD BE 24 IN PAGES (INCLUDING FRONT AND BACK COVER) BECAUSE I HAVE LOT INFORMATION, APPROVED AND CROSSCHECK TEXT AND IMAGES.
v THE SIZE OF BROCHURE SHOULD BE 8.5 X 11.5.
LAMBENT DREAMS MEANING TO ME:
LAMBENT DREAMS TO ME IS A METAPHOR TO ILLUSTRATE SECURE AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP.
WHAT IT SHOULD MEAN TO MY CUSTOMERS
WHOSOEVER PURCHASE OUR FURNITURE SHOULD BE GUARANTEE OF RELISH AND CONVENIENCE’ THAT’S WHAT IT SHOULD MEAN TO MY CUSTOMERS.
WHAT MAKES MY COMPANY UNIQUE TO ITS CUSTOMERS
WHAT MAKES LAMBERT DREAMS FURNITURE UNIQUES TO CUSTOMER/.LOCATION IS THAT THERE’S NO OTHER FURNITURE COMPANY NEARBY ALSO IT NAME AND STYLE.
PURPOSE OF BUSINESS
THE PURPOSE OF MY BUSINESS IS TO BRING MODERN FURNITURE THAT WILL PROVIDE PRIDE FOR EVERYONE.
WHO MY BUSINESS SERVES
MY CUSTOMERS AND OTHERS WHO ARE WILLING TO PATRONIZE OUR COMPANY.
OUR PERSONALITY
WE HAVE AN INSPIRING PERSONALITY
WHAT THE BRAND SHOULD REPRESENT
MY BRAND SHOULD REPRESENT “HIGH QUALITY OPTION”
BRAND TONE
THE TONE OF THE BRAND SHOULD BE “FRIENDLY”.
MY TARGETS AND MISSION.
1) My mission is to serve consumers and industrial market segment with leading edge product that will satisfy their needs in functionality, comfort and style.
2) My core values are Autonomy and Growth.
3) Most of our customer will be from the age of 35 and I will like to target their income demographics.
4) I want my company to be perceived as Professional, I want them to know that we offer best prices and there’s a discount for every product when you are buying more than 3 pieces.
5) I would like to compete with other furniture company. My main competitor is IKEA, my favorite products is Accent Tables.
6) For colors I would like Red, Orange and Brown (let me know what you think about that).
7) In the next Decade I would like my company to be known worldwide.
Important elements that I would like to stress are:
Friendly
Modern
High Quality
Intimate
Secure
Convenient
Effective
Efficient
Value
For logo inspirations you can look at brands like America Signature Furniture, Crate&Barrel, West Elm or Williams Sonoma.
I just got this one, word for word, this week.
JUST RECEIVED THIS TODAY… when I ask to set up a phone call he completely ignored me. MARK LOWERY is the name
It is detailed; it’s a newly established company.
The company is really based on sales of furniture such as Ottomans, Desk lamps, Sectional, Buffets & Sideboards, Counter & Bar Stools, Kitchen Cabinet, Sofa, Office Chair, Accent tables, King bench bed etc.
v Company Name: LAMBENT DREAMS FURNITURE & HOME.
v MY WEBSITE IS UNDER FABRICATION WHICH WOULD BE REGISTERED SOON.
v I DON’T HAVE LOGO BUT NEED ONE MADE-TO-ORDER BY YOU.
v THE FULL TEXT CONTENT AND ALL IMAGES FOR THE CATALOG WILL BE SUBMITTED TO YOU BY THE PROJECT CONSULTANT YOU’LL JUST HANDLE THE LAYOUT.
v THE BROCHURE SHOULD BE 24 IN PAGES (INCLUDING FRONT AND BACK COVER) BECAUSE I HAVE LOT INFORMATION, APPROVED AND CROSSCHECK TEXT AND IMAGES.
v THE SIZE OF BROCHURE SHOULD BE 8.5 X 11.5.
LAMBENT DREAMS MEANING TO ME:
LAMBENT DREAMS TO ME IS A METAPHOR TO ILLUSTRATE SECURE AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP.
WHAT IT SHOULD MEAN TO MY CUSTOMERS
WHOSOEVER PURCHASE OUR FURNITURE SHOULD BE GUARANTEE OF RELISH AND CONVENIENCE’ THAT’S WHAT IT SHOULD MEAN TO MY CUSTOMERS.
WHAT MAKES MY COMPANY UNIQUE TO ITS CUSTOMERS
WHAT MAKES LAMBERT DREAMS FURNITURE UNIQUES TO CUSTOMER/.LOCATION IS THAT THERE’S NO OTHER FURNITURE COMPANY NEARBY ALSO IT NAME AND STYLE.
PURPOSE OF BUSINESS
THE PURPOSE OF MY BUSINESS IS TO BRING MODERN FURNITURE THAT WILL PROVIDE PRIDE FOR EVERYONE.
WHO MY BUSINESS SERVES
MY CUSTOMERS AND OTHERS WHO ARE WILLING TO PATRONIZE OUR COMPANY.
OUR PERSONALITY
WE HAVE AN INSPIRING PERSONALITY
WHAT THE BRAND SHOULD REPRESENT
MY BRAND SHOULD REPRESENT “HIGH QUALITY OPTION”
BRAND TONE
THE TONE OF THE BRAND SHOULD BE “FRIENDLY”.
MY TARGETS AND MISSION.
1) My mission is to serve consumers and industrial market segment with leading edge product that will satisfy their needs in functionality, comfort and style.
2) My core values are Autonomy and Growth.
3) Most of our customer will be from the age of 35 and I will like to target their income demographics.
4) I want my company to be perceived as Professional, I want them to know that we offer best prices and there’s a discount for every product when you are buying more than 3 pieces.
5) I would like to compete with other furniture company. My main competitor is IKEA, my favorite products is Accent Tables.
6) For colors I would like Red, Orange and Brown (let me know what you think about that).
7) In the next Decade I would like my company to be known worldwide.
Important elements that I would like to stress are:
Friendly
Modern
High Quality
Intimate
Secure
Convenient
Effective
Efficient
Value
For logo inspirations you can look at brands like America Signature Furniture, Crate&Barrel, West Elm or Williams Sonoma.
Got almost the same one. Mark Lowery. Phone # 317 943 3322 – said it was for Veehaus Furniture Company. More like Pee-Haus
Got one of these emails today. Thanks for posting!
I find that they stop for a while and then start up again. The most recent one I got claimed he was a doctor that needed a new website… and do I take credit cards?
So glad that people are posting about this. I was just a few step away from starting to work on the site. There were many red flags, but this was my first freelance gig since I opened my business, not but a week after I received my business license.
Here’s what I was sent after an initial email asking if I do website design.
From: John Salazar
Thanks for your responds, below is my project details
Here is the job details I have small scale business which I want to turn into large scale business now it located in MN and the company is based on importing and exporting of Sport wears such as running jacket, jersey, dance wear, socks, boots etc. for both adult youth ladies and girls so I need a best of the best layout design for it. Can you handle that for me ? The site would only be informational, so I need you to give me an estimate based on my want below, the estimate should include hosting and I have a private project consultant, he has the text content and the logos for the site.
WHAT I WANT-
I need a very simple informational website that shows the products that I sell.
(4 main pages)
HOME PAGE
ABOUT US
OUR PRODUCTS (gallery) – about 25 products for now and adding 5-10 new products every month. I want the product to be classified into 4 pages , which are
Male : Adult and children , Female : Adult and children. so that the customers can get full details.
CONTACT US – with a form to fill out so that they can get in contact with me.
Domain Name I want- “johnwearforsport.com” or anything along that line.
TIMELINE- this should go “live” in 3 months.
Note:
1. I want only English language
2. You will be updating the site for me.
3. I will be proving the images, logos and content for the site.
4. I want the site up and running before ending of next three month.
5. My budget is $3000 to $6000
6. No shopping ability
7. The site will be mobile friendly
8. I don’t want sitemap
9. I have 25 product to be on it.
Kindly get back to me with:
(1) an estimate
(2) your cell phone number
(3) And will like to know if you are the owner ??
(4) Do you accept credit cards as payment ?
I stumble across your website and emailed you.
Regards
John Salazar
And later I got his contact info to check to see if he was for real.
Hello,
1.) My registered business name ; John Sport Wear
2.) Billing address : 150 University Ave, Saint Paul MN 55114
3.) Phone number : 201 608 3534
A few red flags I noticed:
1. He does not mention specifically which website he found me on.
2. The address is a hospital
3. The phone number is a google voice number
4. When I called him he had a very thick Asian accent (I think), but yet is named John Salazar.
5. He wanted me to buy his domain name for him, thats the first thing any good business person locks down.
I’m just glad someone mentioned this scam before I really got to work. Keep posting about this to save newbie like myself.
Thank you everyone!
Got the same here just now! so still doing the rounds. Has dropped the hearing part and actually came in two parts …
PART 1
Hello, I’m George, i would like to know if you do web design….And if you do credit card as form of payment??I’m hoping on your quick response.
PART 2
Thanks for your swift response, i have small scale business which i want to turn into large scale business and the company is based on fashion training so i need a best of the best layout design for it and i need you to check out this site but i need something more perfect than this if its possible http://www.elle.com... the site would only be informational, so i need you to give me an estimate based on the site i gave you to check out, the estimate should include hosting and i want the same page as the site i gave you to check out and i have a private project consultant, he has the text content and the logos for the site.
Note:
1. I want the same number of pages with the example site i gave you to check excluding videos and blogs.
2. I want only English language
3.I don’t have a domain yet but i want the domain name as http://www.fashiontrainfield.net
4. You will be updating the site for me.
5. I will be proving the images, logos and content for the site.
6. I want the site up and running before ending of next month.
7. My budget is around £2500 to £4500
Kindly get back to me with an estimate.
Sigh, wish they would just leave us designers alone 🙂
This one is going to be around for a long time I believe. Luckily, many of us have caught on to it!
I’m web designer and I received these emails 2 days ago:
Good morning
I’m Angelina I wanna know if you can handle website design for a new company and also if you do you accept credit cards ??
Regards
Angelina
————————————————-
Thanks for your response I have small scale business which i want to turn into large scale business now it located in city and the company is based on importing and exporting of Agriculture products such as Kola Nut, Gacillia Nut and Cocoa so i need a best of the best layout design for it. Can you handle that for me ?. so i need you to check out this site but i need something more perfect than this if its possible . the site would only be informational, so i need you to give me an estimate based on the site i gave you to check out, the estimate should include hosting and i want the same page as the site i gave you to check out and i have a private project consultant, he has the text content and the logos for the site.
Note:
1. I want the same number of pages with the example site i gave you to check excluding videos and blogs.
2. I want only English language
3. I don’t have a domain yet but i want the domain name as http://www.premium-farm.me
4. you will be updating the site for me.
5. i will be proving the images, logos and content for the site.
6. i want the site up and running before (30-01-2018)
7. My budget is $4000 to $6000
Kindly get back to me with:
(1) An estimate
(2) And will like to know if you are the owner ?
(3) Your cellphone number so that we can have suitable text on phone
Thanks
————————-
Thank you for your article!
That’s a same: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/email-scam-targeting-web-designers-zach-zurn/
Uff thank goodness I found this and other blogs revealing the truth about these scammers. First E-mail I got from them was in August 2017 it read:
Thanks for your swift response and l have small scale business which i want to turn into large scale business now it located in city and the company is based on importing and exporting of Agriculture products such as Kola Nut, Gacillia Nut and Cocoa so i need a best of the best layout design for it. Can you handle that for me ?. so i need you to check out this site but i need something more perfect than this if its possible .http://www.farmhopethrive.org/…. the site would only be informational, so i need you to give me an estimate based on the site i gave you to check out, the estimate should include hosting and i want the same page as the site i gave you to check out and i have a private project consultant, he has the text content and the logos for the site.
Note:
1. I want the same number of pages with the example site i gave you to check excluding videos and blogs.
2. I want only English language
3. I don’t have a domain yet but i want the domain name as abxijefarmproduce.org
4. you will be updating the site for me.
5. i will be proving the images, logos and content for the site.
6. i want the site up and running before ending of next month.
7. My budget is $4000 to $10000
Kindly get back to me with:
(1) an estimate
(2) your cell phone number
(3) And will like to know if you are the owner ??
Thank you
——
I felt it to be fishy and did not even bother replying after that. Never heard from them since then. However, 11/05/17 I got a text for web design request. I had replied to their initial inquiry only to get this(which triggered my memory to that email):
Thanks for the message, I have a small scale business which I want to turn into a large scale business, now it located in Alaska and the company is based on importing and exporting of Agriculture products such as Kola Nut, Gacillia Nut and Cocoa so I need the best layout design for it. Would be pleased if you could, I will need you to check out this site but I need something more perfect than this site if its possible.http://www.agroamerica.com… the site would only be informational, so I need you to give an estimate based on the site I gave you and should include hosting and I want the same page as the site I give you, so check it out and I have a private project consultant, he has the text content and the logos for the site.
——————
To me it sounds way too similar to the email wording even though the URLs are different and certain words have been changed/omitted. What do you all think? I have received advice to just keep going along and see if I get the same results you have but not sure if it would safe to do so.
Oh yeah, that one’s a scam too. Ignore it. I even got contacted by the real Agro America because my first post had the same link in it and they were getting bad publicity because of the scammers using their name.
Now they have started on Freelancer https://www.freelancer.com/projects/graphic-design/WEB-DESIGNER-15363244/
I’m not surprised. I got a new one just this weekend.
Heyyy, just got this via text. The first text was a little different, but when I googled the long message – word for word the same, this was the second hit on Google (the first hit also identified it as a scam). So they’re still at it. Thanks for this post! It sounded like a scam.
Yeah, they seem to have dropped the hearing impaired part.
Hello Everyone, Received this text today. 9/17/2017
757-744-3580
you Asap…
Do you do web design?.
I have a job for you, send me your email address and i will send you the job details.
Email sent, kindly get back as soon as possible… thanks
THIS WAS THE EMAIL=
Here is the job details
I have small scale business which I want to turn into large scale business now it located in ALPHARETTA, GA and the company is based on importing and exporting of Agriculture products such as Kola Nut, Gacillia Nut and Cocoa so I need a best of the best layout design for it. Can you handle that for me ?. so I need you to check out this site but I need something more perfect than this if its possible CarGill.com the site would only be informational, so I need you to give me an estimate based on the site I gave you to check out, the estimate should include hosting and I want the same page as the site I gave you to check out and I have a private project consultant, he has the text content and the logos for the site. I found you through internet search.
Note:
1. I want the same number of pages with the example site I gave you to check excluding videos and blogs.
2. I want only English language
3. I don’t have a domain yet but I want the domain name as bestproduces.farm
4. you will be updating the site for me.
5. I will be proving the images, logos and content for the site.
6. I want the site up and running in a month time.
7. My budget is $8,000 to $10,000
I will like to know if you are the owner ? Kindly get back to me with an estimate.Hope to read from you…
I told them I received the email and would promptly get back to them. After doing some research on the name to see if this is a real person I found this blog showing me it was a scam. Hope everyone else learns before they get taken advantage of.
Sincerly
Johnathan Woodward (Owner/CEO)
HyperSonicSites.com
Staff@HyperSonicSites.com
http://www.HyperSonicSites.com
Got the text then the email proposal – glad this site was here – thanks! Helped me avoid this trap.
Hi.
Exactly the same email is what i got from someone ..
I was not aware of such a scammer . Just say the post and the comments . And found out .
Thank GOD ..
YOU GUYS SAVED ME ..
cHEERS
These go away and then come back. I hadn’t seen it for a while and then got one this week.
it is a scam and i started to fall in but one one word saved me, that word was garnicia nut.
Thank you. I am happy I googled this message prior to sending a reply.
My message had the exact body paragraph with a different name. Thanks for saving me from a potential scam.
Thank you! It stopped me from pursuing it. It actually started with a text message where they said they were referred to me but did not want to tell me the person’s name because the person had died and it makes them cry. Then emailed me with the same information you show above about being hearing impaired, produce, etc.
I feel like it goes in spurts, I’ll get a lot for a while and they’ll drop off for a while.
Thing is I don’t do websites, I do Illustrations and graphics and pattern design so I have no clue where they got my phone number to text me.
How does anyone find you? Do you have a website? Are you listed on job boards? I’ve had these both via text and via email. It tends to go in spurts. I won’t have any for a while and then I’ll get ten in a week. Irritating.
For a while I was getting them frequently… even got one via text. Haven’t had one in a while though.
Their bad spelling is a give away!! I just got their juicy proposal :/
I got this and immediately Googled the message body, found it to be the same as yours. Didn’t bother even emailing them.
Tina Simmons Website Design for a new Company Needed
Hi,
My name is Tina Simmons, I’m hearing impaired, I wanna know if you can handle website design for a new company and also if you do you accept credit cards? Kindly get back to me ASAP so i can send you the job details.
Thanks,
Tina Simmons
Office Equipment by Simmons
720-689-2574
These are really annoying, I’m getting them weekly now. I even got one via text message!
You are awesome, thanks for posting this. I dont have much spare time and to be wasting what little time I do have on people like this is just plain annoying. You saved me a lot of trouble. I hope others decide to google the email body. It sounded suspect right from the get go. They came to me through Yellow pages which is where I get a fair bit of my work so they almost got away with stealing my time. The spelling is bad and the way that they address people ie, Good Day and Good to read your reply.
Hello Amy,
Thanks for posting it, this guy should be barred in Jail. I also got messages from same person and he mentions his below contact info.
COOKSEY KELVIN
Cooksey Sport Wear – Owner
cksklvn@gmail.com
612 460 0647
Thanks for posting your details. I got the same email and was about to start work. The contact info you posted came up on a google search for “Cooksey Kelvin Spam” and it’s the only reason I didn’t start work!
So glad you didn’t get sucked into this scam!