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

Sat Jun 6 10:36:55 UTC 2020

Hi Lisa,

A scam I’ve run into is that the scammer offers to overpay you via credit card (stolen) and wants you to send a check to a “project consultant” for the amount of the overpayment. As described by Mik. If you process the cc payment, you become an accomplice. That scam also involved the “client” being “hearing impaired”. Here’s my blog post about it: http://azurelink.com/tech-news/item/23-hearing-impaired-buyer-credit-card-scam

Probably not worth your time, but you could set up an account at a freelancer site like Upwork and ask them to assign the job through the Upwork system. That way payment is guaranteed. The mere suggestion of that and they’ll probably disappear. LoL!

Best,
Kimo

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On Jun 5, 2020, at 9:21 PM, Lisa Rosenthal via Hidden-discuss <hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net> wrote:

> 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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