<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">Hi Kimo,<div><br></div><div>Yes I think this was a similar scam, some of the English seemed off as well. The only difference seems to be a payment or over payment through Quickbooks.<div><br></div><div>Thanks for sharing your blog post.</div><div><br></div><div>Lisa<br><br><div id="AppleMailSignature" dir="ltr">Sent from my iPhone</div><div dir="ltr"><br>On Jun 6, 2020, at 6:36 AM, B. Kimo Lee <<a href="mailto:bklee@azurelink.com">bklee@azurelink.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252">Hi Lisa,<div><br></div><div>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: <a href="http://azurelink.com/tech-news/item/23-hearing-impaired-buyer-credit-card-scam">http://azurelink.com/tech-news/item/23-hearing-impaired-buyer-credit-card-scam</a></div><div><br></div><div>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!</div><div><br></div><div>Best,</div><div>Kimo</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div apple-content-edited="true">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">AZURELINK :: “Creative Design Technologies"</div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>Web Site Design & Scalable, Managed Web Hosting<br>Joomla! Content Management System Implementation<br>eCommerce Development<br>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">249 Wallace Hill Rd</div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Townsend, MA 01469<br>(413) 204-1763<br>For more information, please visit: <a href="http://www.azurelink.com">www.azurelink.com</a><br>Follow Azurelink on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/azurelink">http://twitter.com/azurelink</a><br>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br></div></div>
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<br><div><div>On Jun 5, 2020, at 9:21 PM, Lisa Rosenthal via Hidden-discuss <<a href="mailto:hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net">hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div 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"><div style="margin: 0px; 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></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;">..............</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Has anyone heard of that, a scam through Quickbooks?</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; 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></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Lisa Rosenthal</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><br></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div 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></div>_______________________________________________<br>Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: <a href="http://www.hidden-tech.net">http://www.hidden-tech.net</a><br><a href="mailto:Hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net">Hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net</a><br><br>You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.<br>If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members<br>page on the Hidden Tech Web site.<br><a href="http://www.hidden-tech.net/members">http://www.hidden-tech.net/members</a><br></blockquote></div><br></div></div></blockquote></div></div></body></html>