Online Seller’s Beware – Foreign buyers with stolen credit cards and fake shippers!
Now that’s a big order, but wait and read.
Online Merchants and Sellers need to read this.
While on vacation in San Francisco with my family this August, I received an interesting email. It read:
Hello,
I’m interested in place an order from you to our store let me know if you can ship here in Belgium and do you accept credit card as a form of payment.
ellennbeautyandcarestore@gmail.com
Order Inquiry!!!!
Being a new online business and wanting to grow, I replied that we did accept credit cards and we can ship international. Now, I’ve been around for a while and have started and managed other businesses. Because of that, I’m reflexively suspicious, so I let “Ellen” know that we prefer a wire transfer before shipping.
“Her” next email was a large product order and read:
Hello,
Thanks for your reply back. Its a pleasure receiving your reply back. I want to order for the below items for my customer’s here, I want you to reply back with the total cost plus shipping quote. We’re ready and can’t wait to receive these wonderful products of yours here. Your utmost reply back with the total quote will be highly appreciated.
INTERESTED ITEMS LISTED BELOW AND ADDRESS FOR SHIPPING QUOTE:
Cypress Wood Soap Tray
QTY………………………30
Green Olive Oil Soap + Tray Set
QTY………………………30
Mountain Soap Factory – Crystal Peak
QTY………………………15
Mountain Soap Factory – Mountain Meadows
QTY………………………15
Mountain Soap Factory – Purple Mountain Majesty
QTY………………………15
Mountain Soap Factory – Settler’s Scrub
QTY………………………15
Mountain Soap Factory – Trappers Lavender
QTY………………………15
Mountain Soap Factory – Aspen Leaf
QTY………………………15
Saifan Hand Formed White Olive Oil Soap – Unscented
QTY………………………30
Saifan White Olive Oil Soap – Unscented
QTY………………………30
White Olive Oil Soap + Tray Set
QTY………………………30
Saifan Hand Formed Green Olive Oil Soap – Unscented
QTY………………………30
Saifan Green Olive Oil Soap – Handmade – Light Laurel Fragrance
QTY………………………30
Saifan Green Olive Oil Soap – Unscented
QTY………………………30
ADDRESS FOR THE SHIPPING QUOTE……..
228 Zeelaan, Koksijde 8670, West-Vlaanderen
Hope to read back from you with the total cost and we can proceed and finalized my order.
God bless you,
Ellen Worrell.
Wow, that’s a big order, in fact the biggest to date for my young company. I prepared an order estimate with pricing at full retail and emailed it to her. I was unsure why “Ellen” needed this much soap, but what raised even greater suspicion was that there was no negotiation on price. On an order that large I would have expected at least a little back and forth.
Suspicions being on full alert, I pulled the address up on Google Earth. The street view showed a very pleasing Belgium street with small shops and a beautiful pedestrian promenade, but no Ellen’s Beauty shop. I addition, I went to the US Government Customs website and found a list of unsavory companies and people that the Feds had banned from doing business in the US, again, nothing for Ellen Worrell.
Just in case the order was legitimate, we began assembling the order.
To try to confirm that “Ellen” was real, I sent the following email:
Hi Ellen,
The order is nearly ready. I have all items requested. The Cypress trays are complete and packed for shipping. To prepare an invoice I need specific information including the exact shipping address, your business name, business phone number, any tax license numbers (Sales Tax/VAT numbers). When I have the information, I will forward an online invoice to you from PayPal. You can use VISA, MasterCard, AMEX, and Discovery or you PayPal account. I will contact your shipper and arrange for a pickup. Shipping is FOB from my office in Scottsdale AZ, USA.
Thanks.
Pure Regards,
Brian Tritch, Owner
In return, “Ellen” sent this email informing me that she wanted to use her own international shipper. One that she has used for years for other orders from other merchants. Here is her email:
Hello Brian.
I really appreciate you getting back to me regarding my order and i will like to let you know that i want you to proceed and let me have a quote on the available items so please i want you to contact my shipper which i use every time i purchase order worldwide via the below e-mail address about my order conocoshippingcoservice@post.com with the weight and dimension inclusive the value for insurance quoting my customer ID #QP24742955E. They will deliver the shipment to me door to door,their cost will include the custom clearance and handling cost with my order. They will come pick my order up at your location when the shipment is ready. I will need you to obtain a quote and tell them that i want to Insure the package and I will like you to get back to me with overall cost of the items with the details from my shipper. Once I have these details, I will get back to you with my credit card details immediately for payment.
Hope to hear back from you ASAP
Kind Regards,
Ellen Worrell.
I noticed the shipper’s email address. Conoco is, in fact, a large international shipper, but why does their email address end with @post.com? It would seem that a company that size could afford their own URL. I Googled it (conocoshippingcoservice@post.com) and wham! “SCAM ATERT” They use multiple names and email addresses but, a consistent message.
Now to appease any attorney’s out there, this is my humble opinion. These people are complete scammers and prey on small business owners that primarily sell their products on the internet. Apparently they use stolen credit card numbers that, once discovered, are charged back to the selling merchant – us. It appears that they are located in east Africa and use a complicit scammer shipping company in the US to pick up the shipment and instead of shipping to Ellen’s address, they sent it to their central scammer warehouse. The same warehouse that also stores those multimillion-dollar funds, on huge pallets, I’m sure, from your unknown relative or a dead rich government official.
My final email to “Ellen” informed her that this is an apparent scam and if she wants my products I require a wire to my bank. To no one’s surprise, the emails stopped.
My soaps and trays are safely in my possession but they are now neatly packaged and ready to ship. At least it got me organized.
For more information concerning online scams, please click to the USA.gov https://www.usa.gov/online-safety. Here you’ll find all kinds of information. Don’t let it scare you, just be aware.
Update:
Since I posted this information, plenty more potential scams have come through my email. We have some new names and slight variations of the same scams. I had added the name Christ Barney to the list in October with the familiar email about credit cards and shipping to an international address.
A couple of new names need to be added are Barney Sanders and Mark Navarro. Barney Sanders had the same scam concerning accepting credit cards and shipping international.
But Mark Navarro added a new twist. See the emails:
Hello Sales,
My name is Mark NavNavarro. A business man and hardworking merchandise shipping dealer. I work in a shopping store where we order and distribute all types of home and made produproducts..
We are so pleased to tell you that you have good products . As you display your onlinenews store. I will like to place order worth of $5000.. Can we proceed in choosing our desired items?
please am awaiting your response, thanks.
Regards,
Mark.
My response:
Hello Mark,
Please let me know what you would like to order. For foreign sales, I require a bank wire transfer. Is that agreeable?
Thanks.
My response is the standard reply that we require a bank wire transfer for any sizable international order, this usually stops them in their tracks and there is nothing but silence afterwards, but not Mark Navarro. Here is his response:
Brian,
Thanks it’s agreeable. What bank do you use?
At this point I think the emails have turned from the standard credit card scheme into a standard phishing attempt. Asking for my bank information was another major red flag. My response was that we use a national bank that is internationally recognized.
That worked for about a month, then came this email:
Hello,
I’m currently out of town and i need your products urgently can i send you cash drawn in us checks?
Thanks..
My response:
Hello Mark,
I don’t know what cash drawn on US check means. What products do you need?
Thanks
Mark Navarro’s final email was to ask me to fulfill an order for him in to amount of $2000 with my best selling products. Here is the email:
Thank you. I want you to make selections of different kind you have in stock for the total $2000.00
I can send a check, just give me your address and phone numbers.
Well, I didn’t give any information but, this looks like it started as a familiar email scam that turned into a phishing attempt.
NEW UPDATE:
There a couple of new names to add to the growing list of scammers who are trying to get our products for nothing or actively phishing for valuable information. Here are a couple of emails I received in the last two months:
“Dear Sir,
Please advise your most competitive price and expedited delivery for the attached items ASAP on or before 20.04.2018.
Quote with gross weight and dimension for freight calculation to our company.
Email and fax Quotation as stated in the attached
Awaits for your reply.
Best Regards…
Kabeer Alex Manager
(sales & Sevices)
BMH GLOBAL RESOURCES LLCPH
PH: 76 984 0096 EXT 7FA
FA :(096) 984 0000″
Here is another:
Dear Sir,
Kindly Find The Attached Excel file for our new Purchase Order#TS11115673422_2222987643TC.
Thanks..
Best Regard,
Chris Lee
Komat Tech Co., LTD
6F.-1, No.184, Zhongyang Rd
Changhua City, Changhua County 50056,
Taiwan (Office)”
This one had an Excel spreadsheet I was supposed to open to view the order. I didn’t.
This one from someone named Shawn Hendrix went on for a long time, my last email to him did the trick and I never heard from him again. It’s one of my favorites:
“Greetings to whom it may concern. My name is Shawn Hendrix. I would like to order some Handmade Soaps, and I would greatly appreciate if you can send any information that could help me in my selection process. Please elaborate on the various options along with the availability, prices, and terms of payment acceptable. If the quality is satisfactory and the terms are reasonable, I will place a large order soon. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards
Shawn Hendrix”
My reply:
“Hello Shawn,
We have many handmade soaps from local and international makers. All of our soaps use only natural ingredients without paraffin, perspectives, hardness, etc. In fact many use organic ingredients. We have soaps for dry skin, soap scented with essential oils, face soap, soap for gears hands and more in as many bars as you need. We accept all major credit cards and can ship.
Everything can be found at www.puresabao.com
Thanks for your interest,
Brian”
At this point he said he was having trouble viewing our website. I kept asking him questions and answering his questions until he came up with order of 1,000 bar at $7.00 each. He said he has his own shipper that he has used many times. My last email was:
“For an order this size I require a bank transfer. I’m sure you understand the stolen credit card and pick up merchandise scam.
Regards
Brian”
Never heard from him again.
Other names include:
Gary Hills
Henry Chin
Kabeer Alex
If you have been contacted by these or other’s using different names, please send in your comments. It’s the only way to at least prevent another online retailer from getting scammed.
Thanks.
Comments (80)
Thank You for that post. I have had exactly the same Ellen Worrell sending excatly the same messages to me recently. Sounded too good to be true so went fishing around and found your post and an other with again same wording, same name, same insane quantities for soap.
I hope your post will help even more people.
Ellen Worrell or whoever she/he is…I’ve been going back and forth with her since April 19, 2017…Thats when she sent her 1st email to me. I felt it was a scam but proceeded with caution because you never no, right? The emails and shipping company were the same/similar to what you guys received. I invoiced her thru my Square Dash board on Tuesday the 25th and she paid right away. A couple hours later Square sent me a verification form to complete and told me my account would be frozen so they could investigate. So I let her know that….She kept emailing me all day wanting to know the status (even though I told her I was at my “real job” several times and I was doing my best to get Square what they needed so we could proceed) and insisting that I refund the purchase so we could use a alternate payment method such as Intuit. Yesterday morning I woke up to a message wanting to know what the status was and asking again if I told square to refund the transaction. I told he no, that I felt we just needed to be patient and I would keep her posted….I also asked her several times to supply her website, facebook page, business license, or something I could pass on to Square to speed up the process, which she ignored. not 30 minutes later I got a email from Square telling me the had determined that it was a stolen credit card scam. To discontinue contact with her and to refund the money back to the card used. So I did just that. I figured she was smart enough to know the jig was up. Nope. She has emailed me 3 times today. I haven’t replied. I also haven’t reversed the charges either. Gonna wait a few days. That way she can’t use that card to scam someone else…and I am gonna contact our local police here….
Thank you for your post. I can’t believe they are still using the same names and shippers. Please keep us up-to-dtae on how it works out.
By the way, I have had a couple more of these type of scam requests. It is always an email inquiry about taking credit cards and international shipping. My response has been that a wire transfer is required on any sizable order. They all go away.
She has still been emailing me….all of which I ignored. I woke up to this email this morning.
LEGAL ACTION WILL BE TAKING WITHIN 24 HOURS
Hello Catherine.
Good Day. I hope this is a game caused i have got a confirmation from my bank regarding the charged i made for the payment of my order. I have waited so many times waiting for you to respond to me but it is obvious that you are not responding intentionally, i will take legal action and necessary steps within 24 hours if i don’t hear anything from you, i will report your store to the authorities and FBI, i will also flag your store on internet as scam since you don’t have any reason why you’ve have not been responding to my emails after the payment i made have cleared into your account. It signify you’re trying to scam me when i have put all my trust in your business transaction. I have the receipt of the payment i made for prove and all other necessary document we be forward to the authorities and FBI.
Have a nice day.
Ellen.
It’s comical how she just keeps on…..the funds are still frozen by square because i havent reversed the charges yet. I reported her this past Saturday to a Goverment agency that handles this type of thing (I found the link on a thread about her and other scammers). I also talked to my local police department yesterday….he told me there’s not much we can do because I didn’t lose any product or money. He also said it was good I was suspicious because it could’ve turned out differently. I did ask if he wanted some of the emails and he said yes so he could keep them on file just in case…
Hi Brian, Thanks so much for writing this article.
I had an email from ‘Ellen’ today, I’m in the UK and she sent the same email text as other people seem to have received, only asking me to ship to Canada. I spent a while looking up shipping costs to see if this would be viable anyway and still haven’t replied to her message, but had a feeling that something wasn’t ringing true with her ‘Inquiry’, after all there’s plenty of soapmakers in the US and Canada, so why request from the UK? After a little searching I found your post, so will just delete the message without responding and be very grateful I came across your site. Many thanks again for exposing this.
Hi,
Ellen sent me some same letters then yours too. I already searching who is she and what about her business. I have not find anything about her but fortunately I found your post.
Thank you for sharing with us.
It looks like they are still trying. I received a new email asking if my company accepted credit cards and was willing to ship internationally. Just for kicks, I replied yes. Very quickly I received an order, 12 units of 9 products on my site. My reply was that for an order this large I require and bank wire. Here are the details:
Message Body:
Hello
I want to place an order from you to our store in The Netherlands. I want to know if you can ship here and accept MASTER OR VISA CREDIT CARD as a form of payment. Reply back asap.
Thanks,
Myung Hartman
I said I do accept CC and will ship. Here is the order:
Hello,
My apology for replying you late. It’s a pleasure receiving your reply back. I want to order for the below items for my customer’s here, I want you to reply back with the total cost EXCLUSIVE shipping quote. We’re ready and can’t wait to receive these wonderful products if yours here.
Your utmost reply back with the total quote will be highly appreciated.
Cherry Soap Tray
QTY………………… 12
Caribbean Rosewood Soap Tray
QTY………………… 12
Green Olive Oil Soap + Tray Set
QTY………………… 12
Maple Soap Tray
QTY………………… 12
Three-Side Soap Tray – Because Your Shower Has Corners
QTY………………… 12
Three Bar Sea Grass Basket
QTY………………… 12
Three Bar Wooden Proofing Basket
QTY………………… 12
Two Bar Sea Grass Basket
QTY………………… 12
White Olive Oil Soap + Tray Set
QTY………………… 12
…ADDRESS FOR THE SHIPPING QUOTE……..
Kelders 25,
8911 JD,
Leeuwarden,
Netherlands.
Hope to read back from you with the total cost and we can proceed and finalized my order.
God bless you,
Myung.
When I emailed back to let Myung know that a ban wire is required, here is the response:
Hello Brian,
It’s good to read back from you. I want you to know that we have discontinued wire transfer due to the negative experience we had. If you wish to continue kindly let me know the total cost of my order and we can proceed further.
Hope to read back from you,
Thank you,
Myung.
Needless to say I have not replied.
So now we have a new name to add to the list. Once again, I have to say that this is my opinion. But let’s all be vigilant.
They just keep coming. The list grows.
This week:
Dear sir
I am Christ Barney and I would like to place an order from you and have it shipped with a shipping company I have used several times in the past. Before placing an order with you, I would like to know if I can pay with a credit card (such as Visa or Master Card), also, I don’t like to place online orders so can I simply email an order form and have you give me a quote? This will allow the fastest processing of my orders. I appreciate your time in these matters.
11-15 ave Noroeste
1015 San Pedro
Sula, 21104, Honduras
Looking forward to your response so we can proceed further as soon as possible..
Warmest Regards
Christ Barney
Last week:
Hello,
I would like to place an order from you to our store here in Switzerland ,I would like to know if you can ship here and accept credit card as a form of paymet..Love to read back from you asap
Thanks
Barnie Sanders
As more of these emails come in, I’will continue to list the names.
I received the same one from Christ Barney. Glad I searched before letting the order be placed!
Wow, I just received the exact same email word for word from Christ Blarney. Sooooo glad I googled him and found this information!
Aloha Brian, So “Ellen” from Belgium is still at it! I’ve received the exact email as your first one, just yesterday. Curious, I responded, though my gut instinct said, “scam!” when I couldn’t find any store or website. Her 2nd email was identical in format to yours as well, just different quantities. This 2nd email raised a red flag and we did a more thorough search and viola! So, no, we’re not sending her anything.
Mahalo & take care!
Debora
I’m glad you found this post. As you can see in the post, they are using other names but the scam is the same. Thanks for your comment.
Thank you so much for your post!
Our company sells handcrafted bath & skincare, hand poured soy candles, and combed and ring spun (super soft) graphic tees. We have done popups and you can find our products in select retailers but we are a very niche business and still getting grounded, sell nearly 90% online. We recently invested in modest Google AdWords Campaign (candle focused) to help drive traffic to our site. Wondering if the new effort caused us to into scammer radar.
On October 18 we received an email from Belgium Ellen that raised our suspensions…
“Hello. I am interested in placing order from your store and i would like to know if you ship to Belgium and accept credit card as form of payment. Awaiting to read you back. Thanks. Ellen.”
(FLAG ONE) The phone number: “0000000000” (there is no reason to not include a number if you are interested in purchasing).
(FLAG TWO) The email address: “ellennbeautyandcarestore@gmail.com” (gmail vs a corporate one, plus we found it interesting that the store name was in English vs Dutch or French and fairly generic).
However, being a young online business we decided to proceed with caution and traded emails her. We sent a short response back saying that we would entertain an overseas credit card transaction and would be happy to work her on her order. With each exchange (3-4 total) we grew more and more suspicious. Like you Brian, as we received more details about her order it became clear this would be a sizable order…in fact, representing our largest online sale to date. So we held out a little hope. It seemed she really shopped our site and selected a wide variety of items. It wasn’t until later that we realized the products she selected were from our home page under the Featured Product section.
(FLAG THREE)
Ellen mentioned that she had a shop and she was purchasing product for it. Yet, she never asked if we provided wholesale pricing and she was showing a preference to conduct her order through email rather than using our online shopping cart. We explained that we would like her to step through the initial quick steps of creating a customer record, fill her cart with items and chose color, size, style, and quantities to ensure there were no mistakes with her order. We explained once she filled a cart, she would get a real-time cost for both products and shipping and she could close her cart without paying, we would be notified of an abandoned shopping cart order and would be happy to work with her on pricing, payment, a shipping solution. She didn’t want to do that and again asked for an estimate. “…kindly proceed and get back to me with the total quote so that i can make the payment. Awaiting to read you back.”
So we added the flags up and did some research. Your post was one the first to come up for us. There were a few others. Interesting to discover a theory that says some scammers intentionally make the email fishy to determine how savvy the prey is.
We sent this response and haven’t heard anything back…
________________________________________________________
Rough Estimate:
$2,800.00 in Products
$350.00 in Shipping
Ellen,
Your first email raised concerns and suspensions as to the legitimacy of your order and whether or not you are in fact a retail shop located in Belgium interested in product for resell in your store. Chief among the concerns is that this would be a sizable credit card order going overseas to a company or individual we do not know. We believe we now understand your reluctance in stepping through a traditional sale process using our online ordering system. A process that would prevent fulfillment mistakes and provide you with a realtime cost quote for products and shipping.
We have a few requests so that we can proceed to the next step in the quoting process, from a rough estimate to a more finalized one.
Please send us…
(1) Name and location of your store, and if you are online, a link to your website.
(2) Information related to the stolen credit card and fake shipper you intend to use for your purchase.
Thank You!
Openly Metro
Thank you for the post. Each time another seller post here, we hopefully prevent another victim from falling prey.
I recently got this…. same email, yet different country and name.
Hello Sir/Ma’am,
I am Joseph Kolasnac and I run a retail store here in San Pedro Sula,Honduras. I would like to place an order from you and have it shipped with a shipping company I have used several times in the past. Before placing an order with you, I would like to know if I can pay with a credit card (such as Visa or Master Card), also, I don’t like to place online orders so can I simply email an order form and have you give me a quote? This will allow the fastest processing of my orders. I appreciate your time in these matters.
Very Respectfully,
Joseph Kolasnac
11-15 ave Noroeste
1015 San Pedro
Sula, 21104, Honduras
+504373843938
Thank you for this alert. We received an email for delivery of ice cream cakes to Hondoras — we are located in Philadelphia, PA. The red flag went up immediately, for obvious reasons.
The email was written word-for-word (that is how I found your post via Google word matching) with the only difference of whom signed it and where it was going. They signed it from Christ Barney to be delivered to: 11-15 ave Noroeste 1015 San Pedro Sula, 21104, Honduras
WOW THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO OUR COMPANY. THANKFULLY FOR GOOGLE AND ALL THE POSTS WE READ.
BE CARE FULL OUT THERE
WOW THIS JUST ABOUT HAPPENED TO US; SOOOO GRATEFULL FOR GOOGLE AND ALL THE POSTS FROM FELLOW BUSINESSES.
i just got the same email but thought it was fraudulent from the start. I did a google search on the address and your post came up. Great that you put out the warning. The person has changed their name to Joseph Martinez
11-15 ave Noroeste
1015 San Pedro
Sula, 21104, Honduras
+504373843938
Not sure the phone number is legit or not, but I’m not going to even both.
Anita
I received an email with the same address today but it was Carlos Martinez
Hello, and thank you so much for this! I just got one of these emails: same postal address, but from a Ben Walter:
Ben Walter
11-15 ave Noroeste
1015 San Pedro
Sula, 21104, Honduras
I just received the email a few minutes ago and went looking for a scam right away, since I don’t advertise much. Couldn’t find a likely-looking Ben Walter on Facebook (the only direct contact point I have for my little business) or google either, and started poking around; found this post. So I guess my big break in business is a scam after all! Thanks for the warning!
I also got basically the same email inquiry from Christ Barney 15 Avenida NO
San Pedro Sula Cortes
Honduras on our handmade soap website. I simply replied Thank you but we are unable accommodate you at this time..
Hi
Just got the same email from Christ Barney requesting a large quantity of items from our store
Thank you for posting! The power of the internet! We too got the exact same email from Christ Barney. I admit I got pretty excited for a moment and then thought when something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
Hello Everyone,
We have a shop in Cape Town and just received this email. Thank you all for publishing your stories, it helped us figure out that this was a scam immediately.
hopefully the more we post about it, the less they will manage to scam other small businesses.
Have a nice day!
Dear sir
I am Christ Barney and I would like to place an order from you and have it shipped with a shipping company I have used several times in the past. Before placing an order with you, I would like to know if I can pay with a credit card (such as Visa or Master Card), also, I don’t like to place online orders so can I simply email an order form and have you give me a quote? This will allow the fastest processing of my orders. I appreciate your time in these matters.
11-15 ave Noroeste
1015 San Pedro
Sula, 21104, Honduras
Looking forward to your response so we can proceed further as soon as possible..
Warmest Regards
Christ Barney
Hello sir,
Thank you so much for Feedback,Here is my order now.Get back to me
with the total cost estimate for the below order:
Hand Sanitizer………………………. 15 Needed In QTY
Heavy Metal Cleanse ( 40 capsules)………………25 Needed In QTY
Detox Bath Salts……………………….20 Needed In QTY
Bug Away Spray ( 8 oz.)………………..25 Needed In QTY
AND MY ADDRESS IS:
11-15 ave Noroeste
1015 San Pedro
Sula, 21104, Honduras
At the same time you need to contact optimized transport routes at(optimizedtransportroutes@outlook.com ),I am registered with them,a shipping
company that specializes in the shipping of consignments from anywhere
with the following :(1)Your full location address where the items will
be picked up .(2) The sizes and weights of the shipping will then
contact you for the time the items will be picked up,you will have to
give them my client registration number HND/184596 and let them know i
asked you to contact them and optimized transport routes will get back to you
with the estimated shipping cost,Please do not be worried about their
policy ….they always like to get the seller along in their dealings
with the buyer as well .No matter what the shipment cost is I will
definitely be responsible for the payment .They have got like products
shipped out to me here several time without any breakage nor damages .
So I can rely on their services .As soon as you have the estimates let
me know so as to proceed with the payment as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Christ Barney
Just received this email on my web site today with the same address.
11-15 ave Noroeste 1015 San Pedro Sula, 21104, Honduras
Thanks for the post. Also got some from Poland.
Oh wow! I just received a similar email for a large order from Christ Barney. I googled the name just curious who this gentleman is who wants to order a bunch of expensive designer dog pillows and came across your post. Thank you so much for the info!
Just got this exact email. Chris Barney Honduras
Thank you for the info. I too received an order from Christ Barney detailing the same as described above.
Brian,
Thank you for this awesome, informational post! I received the exact same inquiry/same email from Christ Barney through my site and decided to google the name as it raised a lot of red flags off the bat, and as the owner of a young and growing brand, I don’t have the time nor the interest in dealing with anything illegitimate. I googled his name and Honduras and your lovely post came up. Very much appreciate the effort you’re making to help all the rest of us!
Sincerely,
Caitlin
Thanks, it is quite informative
We too just went through the same thing, however we saw this post in time to stop it.
Hello sir,
Thank you so much for Feedback,Here is my order now.
Get back to me with the total cost estimate for the below order:
Peppermint……. 30 Needed In QTY
Brown Sugar Goats Milk Lotion…… 25 Needed In QTY
Lavender Goats Milk Lotion……………… 45 Needed In QTY
Dragons (small)………. 35 Needed In QTY
Dreamsicle….. 30 Needed In QTY
Disney………. 35 Needed In QTY
AND MY ADDRESS IS:
11-15 ave Noroeste
1015 San Pedro
Sula, 21104, Honduras
At the same time you need to contact optimized transport routes at(optimizedtransportroutes@yahoo.com ),I am registered with them,a shipping
company that specializes in the shipping of consignments from anywhere with the following :(1)Your full location address where the items will
be picked up .(2) The sizes and weights of the shipping will then contact you for the time the items will be pick up,you will have to give them my client registration number HND/184596 and let them know i asked you to contact them and optimized transport routes will get back to youwith the estimated shipping cost,Please do not be worried about their policy ….they always like to get the seller along in their dealings with the buyer as well .No matter what the shipment cost is I will definitely be responsible for the payment .They have got like products shipped out to me here several time without any breakage nor damages. So I can rely on their services .As soon as you have the estimates let me know so as to proceed with the payment as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Hello Travis,
Thank you for the information. I glad you discovered the scam. Can you please give me the name of the person who initiated the order? The more names we have the better we can stop this activity.
We get emails like this in our general email box, weekly.
I reported the below email and I always cc the sender, to:
Report phishing emails and texts.
Forward phishing emails to spam@uce.gov – and to the organization impersonated in the email. …
File a report with the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov/complaint.
Visit Identitytheft.gov. …
You can also report phishing email to reportphishing@apwg.org.
——————————————————————–
From: Chris Barney
Sent: Thursday, August 2, 2018 2:50 AM
Subject: ATTN:ORDER ENQURTY
Dear sir
I am Christ Barney and I would like to place an order from you and have it shipped with a shipping company I have used several times in the past. Before placing an order with you, I would like to know if I can pay with a credit card (such as Visa or Master Card), also, I don’t like to place online orders so can I simply email an order form and have you give me a quote? This will allow the fastest processing of my orders. I appreciate your time in these matters.
11-15 ave Noroeste
1015 San Pedro
Sula, 21104, Honduras
Looking forward to your response so we can proceed further as soon as possible..
Warmest Regards
Christ Barney
I just received an email for 1,000 bottles of extra virgin olive oil from Shawn Hendrix. I decided to call him to get more information. Same line as many here and other sites have received. Wants to use their shipper and pay by credit card. Sounded fishy and confirmed by this and other sites. Thank you.
Same thing to me but from ‘Bob Smith’ in Honduras. Word for word as all of yours but I make furniture. Looked up street address and it doesn’t exist which is a shame as I was looking forward to have a long and prosperous working relationship with Bob from Honduras!!
Jamshid, hedgehog and acorn furniture.
THANK YOU for sharing your experience with Shawn Hendrix. When I got his email (both website and direct email), the bells in my head went off immediately. He wrote almost word for word what you had:
DEAR OWNER My name is SHAWN HENDRIX. I am interested in ordering some CANDLES from your store, and i would appreciate if you can send any information that could help me in my selection process. Please elaborate on the various options along with the availability, prices and terms of payment acceptable. If the quality is satisfactory and the terms are reasonable, I will place a large order soon. Thank you SHAWN HENDRIX
The fact that certain “key words” were caps was the biggest indication. Seemed like it was completely automated. Before replying, i did a search and came to this post. So, again, thank you!
I’ve also received emails from a Chris Barney from Honduras, I immediately google his name and info and this thread was the first thing to come up. Thank you all for commenting and helping to prevent these scammers. This info was all I needed to of course delete the emails and proceed with caution.
Just today we received the email from SHAWN HENDRIX word for word, wanting to order 1,000 candles. I thought it sounded like a scam by the wording in his email, so I told him to call me to discuss my products. He later asked me to call him, which I did, and then he had to call me back, which I thought was weird. I asked him to stop by our place of business, but he’s ‘out of town on business.’ He wanted to place the order without ever seeing or smelling the candles and didn’t care which scents we might send him. Exact same story about using his shipping company and paying by credit card. We decided to GOOGLE him, and, thanks to these postings, you confirmed our suspicions. THANK YOU!! Again, the old adage is right on the money: “If it sounds to good to be true, it probably IS too good to be true.” Beware!
Chris Barney has apparently moved to “Malta”, but the email is the same as the one posted above by Michelle. Be careful!
Business must be good – they do get around.
Chris Barney has a roomate in Malta named Dennis Morators. The shipping company email they are using is: optimizedtransportroutes@yahoo.com.
Thank you so much for this! I’m just starting out and was on alert, but couldn’t figure out the scam.
And, your soaps look lovely!
Glad you found out about the scam. We can add a new name “Dennis Morators”. I looked at your site too. Cute puppies and nice collars and jackets.
Hi all,
this is another one, just received this week. Same system, same sh*t.
Beware.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Contact Form Name:
Mr. Travis Murphy
Email:
mrtravismurphy66@gmail.com
Body:
Dear Store Owner,
My name is Travis Murphy with Elite Interior Designer. I’m interested in purchasing some extra virgin olive oil for my sister restaurant in the Island. I want to know how much it will cost to order the followng oil for collection from your store.
Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500ml Bottle________Qty: 70 Bottles.
Basil Olive Oil 500mL________Qty: 70 Bottles
Lemon Olive Oil 500mL________Qty: 70 Bottles
E-mail me back with the final invoice plus tax only and without freight picked up from your shop since i will be in your area to do a design job for my client. Send all your replies to my personal email mrtravismurphy66@gmail.com.Thank you and I will look forward to the quote to proceed with payment.
Kindly,
Mr. Travis Murphy
323-786-6121
Another new name to keep a watch out for: Travis Murphy. Thanks for the heads-up.
Almost got scammed thanks for this post!
“Hello sir,
Thank you so much for Feedback,Here is my order now.
Get back to me with the total cost estimate for the below order:
Kenya AA Plus ( Fair Trade Orgainc/size:12oz)……. 50 Needed In QTY
Brazil Cup of Excellence(SKU: 12ozBra)…… 45 Needed In QTY
Ethiopia Harrar (Fair Trade Organic/ size:12oz)……………… 45 Needed In QTY
AND MY ADDRESS IS:
45, Tigne Palace,
Bisazza Street, Sliema
SLM1643, Malta
At the same time you need to contact optimized transport routes at(optimizedtransportroutes@yahoo.com ),I am registered with them,a shipping company that specializes in the shipping of consignments from anywhere with the following :(1)Your full location address where the items will be picked up .(2) The sizes and weights of the shipping will then contact you for the time the items will be pick up,you will have to give them my client registration number HND/184596 and let them know i asked you to contact them and optimized transport routes will get back to you with the estimated shipping cost,Please do not be worried about their policy ….they always like to get the seller along in their dealings with the buyer as well .No matter what the shipment cost is I will definitely be responsible for the payment .They have got like products shipped out to me here several time without any breakage nor damages. So I can rely on their services .As soon as you have the estimates let me know so as to proceed with the payment as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Dennis Morator”
thank you so much for it. The name that sent email was Paul, from Bermuda. The company name is the same. I was sending my details now, and tried to find the email and I found this posts.
thank you again!!
Thank you for starting this thread! Easily found it by searching for the shipper’s email optimizedtransportroutes@yahoo.com. I’m primarily a coffee company but have some soap products for sale. So definitely seems like a pattern of targeting online bath products.
Apparently, his surname sometimes includes a “s” and sometimes does not. Maybe its plural lol
Below are the 2 emails:
—-
Dennis Morators
Mon, Apr 1, 11:37 PM (14 hours ago)
to me
Dear sir
I am Dennis Morator and I would like to place an order from you and
have it shipped with a shipping company I have used several times in
the past. Before placing an order with you, I would like to know if I
can pay with a credit card (such as Visa or Master Card), also, I
don’t like to place online orders so can I simply email an order form
and have you give me a quote? This will allow the fastest processing
of my orders. I appreciate your time in these matters.
45, Tigne Palace,
Bisazza Street, Sliema
SLM1643, Malta
Looking forward to your response so we can proceed further as soon as possible..
Warmest Regards
Dennis Morator
—
Dennis Morators
1:20 PM (1 hour ago)
to me
Hello sir,
Thank you so much for Feedback,Here is my order now.
Get back to me with the total cost estimate for the below order:
Coffee Soap Bar Set……. 35 Needed In QTY
Mocha” Bar Soap…… 45 Needed In QTY
Pourover” Bar Soap……………… 50 Needed In QTY
Single Origin Variety (10 packs)………. 45 Needed In QTY
Panama Elida Natural….. 45 Needed In QTY
AND MY ADDRESS IS:
45, Tigne Palace,
Bisazza Street, Sliema
SLM1643, Malta
At the same time you need to contact optimized transport routes at(optimizedtransportroutes@yahoo.com ),I am registered with them,a shipping
company that specializes in the shipping of consignments from anywhere with the following :(1)Your full location address where the items will
be picked up .(2) The sizes and weights of the shipping will then contact you for the time the items will be pick up,you will have to give them my client registration number HND/184596 and let them know i asked you to contact them and optimized transport routes will get back to you with the estimated shipping cost,Please do not be worried about their policy ….they always like to get the seller along in their dealings with the buyer as well .No matter what the shipment cost is I will definitely be responsible for the payment .They have got like products shipped out to me here several time without any breakage nor damages. So I can rely on their services .As soon as you have the estimates let me know so as to proceed with the payment as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Dennis Morator
More info to my previous post…
Looking at my Analytics, I see the scammer is in “Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria” with IP address 105.112.23.130. Must be a Nigerian Prince.
I work at a coffee company and got the exact same email as well.
They’re branching out!
Yes, thank you for starting this. We thought it was a little off, so I googled his name and this post came up pretty quick. We too are a coffee company and the wording in the email is almost verbatim. Thanks again!
We’re a candied nut company and just received an email from Dennis Morrator!
Thank you so much for this post!
Thank you so much for this thread! I was immediately suspicious of the email from Dennis Morator, and you all confirmed my suspicions. My gran used to say, “All of us is smarter than one of us.”
I received one from Dennis and then two days later I received the following from a new one named Steven Weissinger:
Thanks Once again,The Quote looks Good . I will like to go ahead and make the full payment so you will be able to start my Order but firstly I will like to figure out the shipping price of these as well so I think it will be best to find out how much that will cost me before I can proceed further with the Order.I have contacted ups and I was told the receiver will have to pay extra charge when receiving the items as custom clearance.Due to that my friend recommend a shipping company which can handle this shipment and the receiver wont have to pay anything when receiving them.I will like you to contact these freight company that my partner worked with before so I recommend them to you to go ahead and contact them via email and Inquire about the cost for the shipment.Get back to me with the total cost as soon as you receive the shipping quote from them so we can move forward with the Order.Send them the weight of the order with your pick up address and my delivery address below.
Freight Company details:
Express Delivery International
Agent – Mr Michael Ross
Email – mr3383198@gmail.com
Deliverey Address
Joe Crane
Gyroscoopweg 114, 1042 AX,
AMSTERDAM ,
I will finalize and handle everything when I hear back from you with the total quotation.
Thanks again
Looks like we need to add some new names to the growing list. Steven Weissinger, Michael Ross, and Joe Crane. Thanks, everyone, let’s keep the list growing.
Got one today from a guy claiming to be Chuck Morgan.
Chuck Morgan is a new name to add here. Michael Ross was their “shipping agent” as well. Thanks for starting this post, it confirmed my suspicion! I had nothing otherwise.
Michael Ross is a new name to watch out for. Michael Ross, Shipping Agent.
Watch out for Fetral Johnson, he is trying to scam our Olive oil and Balsamic vinegar store in PA. He uses the address:
45, Tigne Palace
Bisazza Street, Sliema
SLM1643, Malta
I just went through this, an order for “only” $1,400 USD, with the shipping charges of only $3,395.87 🙂
The name used by the scammer is Paul Vinter with an address in Bermuda and the e-mail the supposed “forwarding” company is using is optimizedtransportroute@yahoo.com and the name of John Smith 🙂
We are an online wholesale rocks and minerals company in Tucson, AZ.
We received an email from a Nick Hall njjwpollo@aol.com with the same pattern of emails:
Hello
Please confirm if you accept visa or master card for payment for an international order, And if I can arrange pick up from your store/warehouse by private freight forwarder.
Awaiting your response
Regards
Nick Hall
After letting them know we had no problem having them use their own freight forwarder as long as they paid for it we received this email:
Hello,
Kindly go through the below details carefully then get back to me with the estimated cost of the items :
Thulite Bead Strand 10 mm – 25 pcs
Product no.: 11510
Amethyst Tumbled Stones A Grade – 25 lbs
Product no.: 10460
100-Pack Agate Slices Mini Mix, B Grade 25pcs
Product no.: 10818
If you do not have all the above listed, kindly let me know the ones that are available presently.
Due to the difficulties encountered when shipping to Bermuda, I would prefer you contact my freight forwarder as they offer great services with affordable prices at {optimizedtransportroute@yahoo.com} and I would be responsible for freight payment while they would be responsible for all onerous document, legal and tax requirements to get it delivered.
Delivery Address :
GI Inc
Suite 751, 48 Par-La-Ville Road
Hamilton HM 11 Bermuda
Thus, contact them with description of goods to be shipped and get back to me with the estimated shipping cost as they have got like products shipped out to me in the past without any breakage nor damages so I can rely on their services.
As soon as you have the estimates from the shipper, let me know so as to proceed with the payment of the total cost for both.
Best Regards
Nick Hall
The address they provided in Bermuda only gives you a general area in Bermuda. The company name does not match the actual company whose address this is tied to. They are called “Independent Consulting Solutions” dealing with technology for businesses. The GI Inc they chose is a number of different companies.
We googled optimizedtransportroute@yahoo.com, which was the email for the freight forwarder they wanted us to contact and arrived at your website with this long thread of comments. Thank you for posting this.
Can’t believe this scam is still going on since 2016. Who knows how long before that.
It looks like Nick Hall has been very busy. Thanks for the alert.
I received the same exact email and followed up to the point where everyone got to with the large order placed and a shipping company they preferred to use. I went on google map and called the number of their supposed store on What’s app spoke with the actual store owner who was clueless about the information I shared with him. He said he was a grocery store owner and found it odd to be receiving an international call so he answered and heard the ordeal that his shop was used for a shipping address in a scam organization. He too will be investigating and following up . Thank you so much for this site . You have save a lot of small businesses from being taken advantage of.
We got this order of rotary tumblers for rock’s, mineralen and jewelry:
——————-
Hello,
Kindly go through the below details carefully then get back to me with the estimated cost of the items :
Lortone drum machine model 3A
5pcs
Lortone drum machine model 3A ‘PLUS’
5pcs
Offer! Lortone tumbler 3A with stainless steel steel shot
5pcs
If you do not have all the above listed, kindly let me know the ones that are available presently.
Due to the difficulties encountered when shipping to Bermuda, I would prefer you contact my freight forwarder as they offer great services with affordable prices at {optimizedtransportroute@yahoo.com} and I would be responsible for freight payment while they would be responsible for all onerous document, legal and tax requirements to get it delivered.
Delivery Address :
GI Inc
Suite 751, 48 Par-La-Ville Road
Hamilton HM 11 Bermuda
Thus, contact them with description of goods to be shipped and get back to me with the estimated shipping cost as they have got like products shipped out to me in the past without any breakage nor damages so I can rely on their services.
As soon as you have the estimates from the shipper, let me know so as to proceed with the payment of the total cost for both.
Best Regards
Nick Hall
—————
Look’s me as the Same ‘Company’ as above.
So we wil act as all of you. Thanks for all warnings on internet.
Glad I came across this post… here’s a few emails down the line with Mr nick hall from Bermuda. So far haven’t had trouble with bank information but optimizedahippingroutes@yahoo really got me going haha.
Hello,
Thanks for the invoice and am okay with the prices but I want 2 of each of the items, So contact my freight forwarder to obtain the shipment quote with the info below
Contact person : Paul Bright
E-mail : optimizedtransportroute@yahoo.com
Position : Front Shipper
Contact them with the following information,
-Total weight & dimension of the consignment
– Pick up address
– Recipient address
– Contact person
Kindly contact the shipper for shipping quotation and as well copy me in the e-mail to the shipper so we can proceed further. Our addressSuite 751, 48 Par-La-Ville Road Hamilton HM 11 Bermuda
Nick
So what happened next? I’ve just had this chap order off me, his card details went through. Collection tomorrow.
Hi Sara, I’m not sure. No sale on this thread has gotten this far. Maybe wait to confirm the cc is valid. Can you call the issuing bank to confirm that the charge is good? Have you sold merchandise to this buyer before?
No Brian, not sold to him before. I assumed with the high shipping fees he was just a rich man trying to reduce his tax bill. Yes already phoned card people and checked it was legit before paying for the shipping, plus the first payment has come through from my stripe account today!! I feel like such a fool. I am assuming the con will be to request a refund, whereas I wont be able to get a refund from the fake shipping company. Lucky my bank is going to refund me. Plus I am not loosing the shipment, that is not going anyway.
This just got posted to me today in a follow up emai I had sent once i realized this was a scam. They are recycling the same game of everyones post to catch you off your guard. Glad no one here so far fell for the dirty trick.
UN Shop
7:38 AM (10 hours ago)
to me, bcc: me
Hello Alena,
Thanks for your email. I am confused with your email as I have been
dealing with my freight forwarder for quite some time now and I have
not heard any issues or whatsoever with them delivering my orders to
me so I dont think yours should be a problem. I have asked for the
contact number which is 563-279-2235 and the contact person is Paul
Bright . My website would be ready in few weeks
I would like us to have relationship internationally henceforth.
Let me know
Andres
I’ve also had trouble with nick hall in Bermuda and found the thread by typing in the freight forwarders address!
I’ve had the same issue here with some sales. So what happens next? The credit card was accepted and they are apparently picking up shipment tomorrow. I have paid the shipping company!
So glad I google PAUL VINTER, cause his email felt a bit off…
Paul Vinter:
Hello
Please confirm if you accept visa or master card for payment for an international order, And if I can arrange pick up from your store/warehouse by private freight forwarder.
Awaiting your response
Regards
Paul Vinter
ME:
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your email!
We accept both visa and mastercard. You can find all payment options in the footer of our website.
We send our packages with Cycloon (Fietskoerier) , who work with DHL, among others. Perfectly safe and trusted.
If you’d anyhow like to use your own courier, we can refund you the shipping costs that are automatically charged online.
Or you can email your order and I’ll send you a manual order payment request without shipping cost.
I live above our store and studio, so pick up time won’t be a problem.
If you’d like to know more about our shipping, you can read about it here:
https://www.bonbonboutique.nl/pages/shipping
If you have any more questions, I’m happy to help!
All the best,
Paul Vinter:
Hello,
Kindly go through the below details carefully then get back to me with the estimated cost of the items :
CASCADE //ONE PIECE
10pairs
O-STUD //ONE PIECE
10pairs
HOOKED ON YOU //ONE PIECE
10pairs
S HOOP //ONE PIECE
10pairs
PLAIN JANE //ONE PIECE
10pairs
If you do not have all the above listed, kindly let me know the ones that are available presently.
Due to the difficulties encountered when shipping to Bermuda, I would prefer you contact my freight forwarder as they offer great services with affordable prices at {globalshopex@yandex.com} and I would be responsible for freight payment while they would be responsible for all onerous document, legal and tax requirements to get it delivered.
Delivery Address :
GI Inc
Suite 751, 48 Par-La-Ville Road
Hamilton HM 11 Bermuda
Thus, contact them with description of goods to be shipped and get back to me with the estimated shipping cost as they have got like products shipped out to me in the past without any breakage nor damages so I can rely on their services.
As soon as you have the estimates from the shipper, let me know so as to proceed with the payment of the total cost for both.
Best Regards
Paul Vinter
Watch out. We just got a call from this same number. $8k to ship to Brazil on a CC. It smelt bad. The address didn’t match. We googled it and it was an insurance company and the address in Brazil is a hospital.
Here is another one from Travis, just different last name.
From: Travis McKnight Phone #: 323-786-6121
Interested in: Horizontal Blinds
MESSAGE :
To whom it may concern,
My name is Travis McKnight . I’m interested in ordering Blinds and i want you to get back to me with the following sizes and quantity cost plus tax only :
Product: Window Blinds
Material: Aluminium or Wood
Size: 48×48 1 inch
Color: Warm White & Chestnut
Quantity: 60 Blinds
I would like you to email me back with the total pick up price plus tax on the quantity , excluding shipping. Is there a surcharge on the use of a Credit Card for payment ?kindly respond to me as soon as possible for us to proceed further with the order..
Regards,
Travis McKnight
travism3002@gmail.com
323-786-6121
Form from IP: 41.218.209.247
You may want to verify. Have you followed up on the phone number? Usually they ask for international CC or shipping. But they do mention “pick up”. That can be a red flag. Also, it is a gmail account, very easy to get and hide behind.
This man is still trying to scam!
He just tried to place the same order with our company. Thank you for the heads up.
Looks like they are still at their little scams. Order requested via website form, asked for total price and if the could place an email order. I explained all orders would be through the website and paid by pay-pal/card. Then I found this thread……..
They asked me to contact their shippers with the ref number HND/184596 to email
At the same time, you need to contact Maris Shipping and Freight Forwarding at( mshippingco@yahoo.com),I am registered with them, a shipping company that specializes in the shipping of consignments from anywhere with the following :(1)Your full location address where the items will be picked up. (2) The sizes and weights of the shipping will then contact you for the time the items will be pick up, you will have to give them my client registration number HND/184596 and let them know i asked you to contact them and Maris Shipping and Freight Forwarding will get back to you with the estimated shipping cost, Please do not be worried about their policy ….they always like to get the seller along in their dealings with the buyer as well. No matter what the shipment cost is I will definitely be responsible for the payment. They have got like products shipped out to me here several time without any breakage nor damages. So I can rely on their services. As soon as you have the estimates let me know so as to proceed with the payment as soon as possible.
They are now based here:
AND MY ADDRESS IS:
46 George Borg Olivier StSliema, Malta
Going with the name davidsteven50022@gmail.com
Another one to add to the list
My goodness, either someone is trying to scam us all, or we’re all losing out on large orders!
We have just received this one. Very similar in content, but tailored to our business. He appears to be slightly dyslexic, as his name changes spelling three times – once in the signature, one in the email address and finally in the display name:
Hello sir,
Thank you so much for the response,Am so sorry for the late response. Here is my order now.Get back to me with the total cost estimate for the below order:
Lavender Scented Candle…..70Needed In QTY
Honeysuckle Scented Candle…..40Needed In QTY
Soap Bundle……40Needed In QTY
Lavender Natural Handmade Soap with Honey……..50Needed In QTY
Beeswax Furniture Polish…….40Needed In QTY
AND MY ADDRESS IS:
19 Moo 4 Viset Rd, Rawai, Phuket 83130, Thailand
At the same time you need to contact Maris Shipping Co. Ltd at(maris.transport01@yandex.com),I am registered with them,a shipping company that specializes in the shipping of consignments from anywhere with the following :(1)Your full location address where the items will be picked up .(2) The sizes and weights of the shipping will then contact you for the time the items will be pick up,you will have to give them my client registration number HND/184596 and let them know i asked you to contact them and Maris Shipping Co will get back to you with the estimated shipping cost,Please do not be worried about their policy ….they always like to get the seller along in their dealings with the buyer as well .No matter what the shipment cost is I will definitely be responsible for the payment .They have got products shipped out to me here several times without any breakage nor damages. So I can rely on their services .As soon as you have the estimates let me know so as to proceed with the payment as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Morgan Steven
I am so glad I found this! I am currently dealing with this exact scenario with a “Paul Vinter” looking to buy large quantities of items I sell. I have been naturally suspicious of anyone. He wants to pick it up from my store/warehouse (I don’t have one) and have his shipper send it internationally. My gut was screaming something was amiss, but I really wanted this to be real. My last email I requested his full name, shipping address, billing address, Federal Tax ID for wholesale pricing, etc. I haven’t heard back, yet. I’m bummed that people like this ruin it for the good ones 🙁
Sincerely,
Sara W.- a small business owner in NY