<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr"><span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr"><span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr"><span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr"><span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr"><span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr"><span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr"><span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">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. </div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">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. </div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">4 emails into the conversation:</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The guy, Mike Powell:</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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 !</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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?</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mike Powell: </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.</span></div><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> You can look up for Quickbooks online . It’s easy and simple to set up.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">..............</p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><br></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Has anyone heard of that, a scam through Quickbooks?</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I just said I wasn’t interested and left it at that.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Lisa Rosenthal</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><br></p></div><div dir="ltr"><div id="AppleMailSignature" dir="ltr">Sent from my iPhone</div><div dir="ltr"><br>On Jun 5, 2020, at 10:25 AM, Michael Muller via Hidden-discuss <<a href="mailto:hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net">hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr">
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<p><font face="Calibri">Hey all web people on the HT list...<br>
</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">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.</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">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:</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">"Hello how are you doing,I will like to know
if you would be able to handle a website design for me ?"</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">The punctuation and referral to "handle a
website design for me" leads me to believe this isn't quite
legit.</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">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...<br>
</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">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?</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">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.<br>
</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Calibri">If you are ever contacted by anyone with
a similar request, just say no.</font></b></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">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.<br>
</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">Thanks,<br>
</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">Mik<br>
</font></p>
<p><djieiikcpfacbmlb.png> <mchjaacgihikpfbf.png>
<oahmococlbdlgcio.png></p>
<div class="moz-forward-container"><br>
<br>
-------- Forwarded Message --------
<table class="moz-email-headers-table" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">Subject:
</th>
<td>Re: Web designer needed</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">Date: </th>
<td>Thu, 4 Jun 2020 14:30:49 -0700</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">From: </th>
<td>Sarmento Alves Domingos
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:sarmentoalves940@gmail.com"><sarmentoalves940@gmail.com></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">To: </th>
<td>Michael Muller <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:tech@montaguewebworks.com"><tech@montaguewebworks.com></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br>
<br>
<div dir="ltr">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 <br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.missrebel.co.uk" moz-do-not-send="true">http://www.missrebel.co.uk</a>.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<div><br>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Jun 4, 2020 at 11:57
AM Michael Muller <<a href="mailto:tech@montaguewebworks.com" moz-do-not-send="true">tech@montaguewebworks.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px
0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div>
<p><font face="Calibri">Hi Sarmento,</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">Can you provide more information?</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">Thanks,</font></p>
<p><font face="Calibri">Mik</font><br>
</p>
<pre cols="72">---
Mik Muller, president
Montague WebWorks
239-R Main Street, Greenfield, MA
413-320-5336
<a href="http://MontagueWebWorks.com" target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">http://MontagueWebWorks.com</a>
Powered by ROCKETFUSION</pre>
<div>On 6/4/2020 11:41 AM, Sarmento Alves Domingos wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">Hello how are you doing,I will like to know
if you would be able to handle a website design for me ?<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: <a href="http://www.hidden-tech.net">http://www.hidden-tech.net</a></span><br><span><a href="mailto:Hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net">Hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net</a></span><br><span></span><br><span>You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.</span><br><span>If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members</span><br><span>page on the Hidden Tech Web site.</span><br><span><a href="http://www.hidden-tech.net/members">http://www.hidden-tech.net/members</a></span><br></div></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>