Hoax emails?

Hi all,

I am listed on the Instructors page on this site and since that time I have started to recieve a few emails enquiring about private classes, which should be great, but I just get the feeling there is something odd about them. I know at least one dancer who got the exact same email from exactly the same person as me and I was wondering if anyone else was recieving them?

The format is thus:

The name is a typically 'western' name.
The person can only write 'broken' English.
They ask about private lessons for themselves or their children saying they have 'some' dance experience.
They ALWAYS live abroad or a long way away and mention coming to stay in London.

Now I'm not stupid so I only give out general information (prices, general area I live in) but there is just something that doesn't seem right about these emails.

I mean, I'm not that well known a dancer outside my little stomping ground and have only been teaching a year, so when I find out they are coming from abroad/miles away I say I would be happy to teach them, but I ask if they need help finding a teacher nearer to them and this is generally when the emails stop.

Has anyone else experienced this? I have considered they are spam, but to what end? Or am I just being overly paranoid?

I'd really appreciate any opinions/advice, even if it is that I'm going mad!

TIA

'Tis spam!

Hi wiggleit76 - I get a fair amount of these emails as well - and I'm pretty sure they're spam, but not random spam - they're connected to a financial scam. There was a thread on Bhuz about this at one point that went into the mechanics of the scam involved - something to do with cheques...I can't remember exactly, sorry:redface: All the emails pretty much follow the format you've described.

Sorry not to be able to give more information, but I hope you feel less paranoid now!
D

You can never be too safe. Trust your instincts and ignore them if they make you feel uncomfortable.

wiggleit76 said:

I mean, I'm not that well known a dancer outside my little stomping ground
TIA

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But a legend within it my darling

Deelybopper, I don't suppose you can remember any of the details of how the scam goes? I receive these e-mails too and would really like to understand how it works...

Hi eshta - no, sorry, I can't remember...
D

I think the scammer pays you by some form of bank transfer which is reversible, then they say they've overpaid you and ask you to send them a cheque for the overpayment or else they ask you to send a cheque to someone else, by which time they've reversed the original payment to your account.

Gosh, sometimes I'm just in awe (though horrified) over how scammers can think of all the ways to scam others. I would never, ever be able to come up with something like that. Can you believe the lengths some people go to use others and get their money? Weird...

Good for you, Wiggleit, that you didn't fall for it.

Well, true Gisela, if these scammers put as much energy and creativity into legitimate business as they do into scamming...

I suspect many of these come from the same folks who have brought us the "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE HELP ME," and "I am the ex-wife of the former minister of _____________ of _________. There are 3 million dollars deposited in a Swiss bank account and we have selected you as our American agent to blah blah blah."

Get a life, scammers!

Hey folks, just ignore this kind of emails. They are spam (and dangerous one).

Thanks everyone I'll definitely trust my gut on these emails, and I hope this thread means no other dancer/teacher gets scammed this way.

Yep I get several of those through the troupe site a week. Luckily for me I teach out of city parks and recreation so I have no say over class fees and only handle in class registrations.
I do have a form letter I send back to the scammers. Basically it says we don't offer private lessons, only the classes through the city that are listed on the website and all money is handled by the parks and rec department. The form letter mentions the city office several times as well as the fact that all monies are handled through them, they only accept cash at the office or major credit card over the phone and they are located in the same building as the city government so its easy to find when they get to town. Rarely do I get a second reply to the form letter. If I do, I have a second letter that is a little more agressive in references to the city and city offices handling all the money end. The one particularly stubborn scammer I just blocked out of the email program.
Most of the time its very obvious that the inquiries are from scammers. But the form reply is not a bad idea to have on hand. Something with your basic class info, I just take the exact same info from off the website. That way if you are getting an honest inquiry they get the info they need, if it is a scam they usually will quit when you don't bite so to speak.

For a brief while I was saving their emails up, then forwarding them to each other. It gave me a little satisfaction, but became too much work. Then I started replying with the foulest language I could think of (pretty foul) but that, too, became tiresome.

Now, I just tell them I'll be happy to teach their twin boys Jeffrey and William, or whatever, and fulfill their circuitous payment routine, but first, could they please send me a recent photo, a lock of their hair and some nail clippings? A small request, I say, for some figurines I'm making...
Now, where are those hatpins?

Here they explain how it works:

Another hoax? - The Biz of Belly Dance - tribe.net

Thanks for the link Amulya, so that's how the scam works!

Good to know my gut was right about this!

Suheir said:

I think the scammer pays you by some form of bank transfer which is reversible, then they say they've overpaid you and ask you to send them a cheque for the overpayment or else they ask you to send a cheque to someone else, by which time they've reversed the original payment to your account.

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That is pretty slick. Have you ever had this happen to you?

I'm a translator and our profession (along with interpretation) is often targetted by these scammers. I regularly get e-mails enquiring about possible translation work, for which I would be paid more than what I charge, I would then need to return the extra money by transferring it via WesternUnion, bla bla bla. Typical 419-scam. I've heard many stories about e-mails from some prominent persons, like bishops, diplomats, kings and sultans, who require the services of an interpreter for their next holiday. They send a cheque that exceeds the amount negociated, and the rest is history!

Just ignore these e-mails! Although you can always report them to the proper authorities, they usually use free e-mail addresses and just change address whenever they are caught...

To have a laugh, read up some stories on Welcome to the 419 Eater!

Mariyam said:

To have a laugh, read up some stories on Welcome to the 419 Eater!

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That is so much more efficient than reporting those incidents. One of the stories I read on that page - they actually did manage to make the "Nigerian Business Partners" to make a real hotel reservation at the Hilton for him. Of course he didn't show up, so they actualy suffered some financial loss.

Bless the geniouses who can even fight with something that seems a hopeless cause :clap::clap::clap: