[Hidden-tech] SCAM: "Web designer needed"

Sat Jun 6 01:21:59 UTC 2020

This happened to me recently, someone contacted me through my website. They were looking for a designer for a logo and brochure, 8 pages for a Antiques Business in Santa Monica. His project consultant had all the photos and copy. I was given specific details about the project as well as a company name and address. No website or online presence yet, it was supposedly under construction. 

They seemed to have a good budget for the design part of the project. I went back and forth a bit trying to figure out if it was a scam and then what the scam was. I googled the address, it looked like Reddit was there or had been there and it might be vacant. I called adjoining businesses to ask if it looked like an Antique store was going in next door, they both said no it didn’t. 

4 emails into the conversation:
The guy, Mike Powell:
Ok I will be making a deposit for a start so we can proceed.Also, I’ll like to let you now I will be paying you via Quickbooks by you sending me an invoice of the partial payment so I can make payment from my ends.Let me know if that’s ok with you !

Me: I don’t have a Quickbooks account so I don’t think that payment method will work. Venmo might be a possibility, would that work?

Mike Powell: I’m unable to use my cc via PayPal, Square nor Venmo due to some bad experiences I’ve encountered using it in recent time and I was advised by my cc provider not to use via any of the above mentioned processors for now.
   You can look up for Quickbooks online . It’s easy and simple to set up.
..............

Has anyone heard of that, a scam through Quickbooks?

I just said I wasn’t interested and left it at that.

Lisa Rosenthal

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 5, 2020, at 10:25 AM, Michael Muller via Hidden-discuss <hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net> wrote:
> 
> Hey all web people on the HT list...
> 
> Over the years I've received an innumerable number of spam emails -- mostly people asking me if I need help building a website for a domain I just purchased. I used to ask them if they knew what I did for a living, and of course they don't. It's just a robo-script emailing anyone with a email address attached to a domain name.
> 
> On occasion I get a text from someone asking if I could build them a website. The exact working typically never changes, and the scam is always the same. This is how they usually contact me:
> 
> "Hello how are you doing,I will like to know if you would be able to handle a website design for me ?"
> 
> The punctuation and referral to "handle a website design for me" leads me to believe this isn't quite legit.
> 
> The first time I got a text like this the follow-up was that the person was both deaf and blind, so I couldn't call nor send an email. The whole thing had to be done over text. Hmmm...
> 
> They want specifically 5 pages, because they can't afford more, and it's already been designed. All I have to do is take the designed pages and put them on a web server, linking the pages to each other. Seems to be quick money, right?
> 
> The kicker is -- and this is where the klaxons start going off -- the scammer wants to pay me $5000 by credit card, but I have to pay their designer $3000 by check, since they don't take credit cards.
> 
> If you are ever contacted by anyone with a similar request, just say no.
> 
> I am passing this info along because not only did I get such a text from this guy, but also an email         (below). The third screen shot has some harsh expletives, so be forewarned.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Mik
> 
> <djieiikcpfacbmlb.png>  <mchjaacgihikpfbf.png>  <oahmococlbdlgcio.png>
> 
> 
> 
> -------- Forwarded Message --------
> Subject:	Re: Web designer needed
> Date:	Thu, 4 Jun 2020 14:30:49 -0700
> From:	Sarmento Alves Domingos <sarmentoalves940 at gmail.com>
> To:	Michael Muller <tech at montaguewebworks.com>
> 
> 
> Here is the job details, well i have a small clothing business for both male and female which i run here in state,now am trying to expand the business and i want you to build an informational website for it for advertisement and to increase my sales rate..so i need you to check out this site but i need something more perfect than this if its possible 
> 
> http://www.missrebel.co.uk.
> 
> The  site would only be informational, so i need you to give me an estimate .The estimate should include hosting and i want the site to have not more than 5 pages ,since it is informational. I have a private project consultant who has the text content, images and the logos for the site.
> 
> 
>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2020 at 11:57 AM Michael Muller <tech at montaguewebworks.com> wrote:
>> Hi Sarmento,
>> 
>> Can you provide more information?
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> Mik
>> 
>> ---
>> Mik Muller, president
>> Montague WebWorks
>> 239-R Main Street, Greenfield, MA
>> 413-320-5336
>> http://MontagueWebWorks.com
>> Powered by ROCKETFUSION
>>> On 6/4/2020 11:41 AM, Sarmento Alves Domingos wrote:
>>> Hello how are you doing,I will like to know if you would be able to handle a website design for me ?
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