Possible Scam
I was curious to see if anyone had encountered a similar situatution with their letterpress business-
I received an email from a Roy Walter looking for 60,000 flyers. For most of you, I’m sure it would seem abnormal right off the bat, but I also sell offset printing for my family’s company. So I gave him a quote, he liked it, and then proceeded to ask the job be shipped to Paris!
Not one to judge, I went along with it. He was eager to pre-pay with his credit card by phone. But when I told him to pay me via a paypal invoice, he seemed to have vanished.
Has anyone encountered this before?
This sounds similar to some topics touched on a radio program in the uk a few weeks back.
If you would have proceeded I’m sure there would have been some form of money transfer involved rather than solely dealing on the credit card.
It does sound very suspect.
The wording of the email might be a clue — typically vague on the subject and ESL. I’m surprised he didn’t want to charge 50% more than the quote on his credit card and have you wire the difference Western Union to his designated “shipper” ;-). I have a similar “buyer” for a truck I’m selling (but not to him).
Bob
got the same email! i told him that i couldn’t help him.
See the spam notice and procedure at Recognizing scams and suspicious offers. With this help we have been quite successful in banning users who abuse the site.
Yep, I got that one too!
Thank you all for your input and similar stories. Elizabeth, it was not directly through Briar Press that this person contacted me. But since they found my small printing business, I thought others might be targeted as well, so I mentioned it on the forum.
Guess I should leave job runs of 60,000 to the commercial printers!
-Tony
I got the same e-mail! Then I did a little research and found this discussion: http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-201-969-3454
Definitely a scam.
Sorry I’m so late on this one — but also being a commercial printer I can assure you — this is a total scam. The credit cards they use are stolen but where they really rip you off is they get you to front the shipping money to the “shipping company” — which happens to be them! They get your money, you get nothing but 60,000 fliers that are useless. Don’t even bother to reply to these thieves to begin with.
Haha I got this too, I emailed him back saying at best it would take me about three years and cost at 120,000. I never got a reply back.
MEF -
Yes. I have been hit with a number of similar scams - even someone wanting to buy my Windmill - or a container full of Windmills to be sent to Iraq. I also had one “buyer” from Africa which was certainly a scam. I’ve also had the printing scams as well. You did well to protect yourself.
If such an inquiry doesn’t seem to make sense, it probably doesn’t…
- Alan
Any request for a print quote that comes so sparsely specified is suspicious. I immediately deleted it. If they can’t put down non-internet contact details, or a business name that can be researched then I won’t waste my time.