How to not fall for Scammers

How you can learn about value from My Email correspondence with a likely e-check scammer

Dec 20, 2021

As a creative professional its a joy for me to work on personal projects for people. One of my favorites is writing a personalized song for a client’s loved one.

Sadly, people can take advantage of your small business or non profit, wasting your time, money and energy. During seasons like the Holidays it can be easy to get fooled. Be on your guard!

Just in case you ever run into a well intentioned email from a stranger who seems interested in your work but your gut is telling you something is off, listen. Even if they have the best of intentions, protect yourself before allowing someone to pay for services in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable. Trust your gut. I’m so glad I did, cause it protected me against added headache, heart ache and loss.

Turns out these seemingly small things can really jack up your life if you get fooled into their trap.

IF you’ve been a victim of check fraud then check out this article on Credit Karma

Photo by Ginger Sole Photography / Joelle Martinec

Here’s my real email correspondence with a possible scammer.

< Their name and sensitive info has been taken out or altered >

—

Hello Adjoa,

I found your profile on freelanced.com, do you write original songs?

Kind Regards,
Neal

—

Yes, I do.

ADJOA SKINNER WEBB

SONGWRITER / SAG RECORDING ARTIST

http://adjoaskinner.com

—

Ok, Actually I want a surprise birthday song for my son as he turns 7. Just a simple birthday song with his name mentioned lol. You can make a video of you singing for him, He is really going to love it.

I’m willing to pay $...

Does it work for you?

—

Neal

Thank you for asking me to be apart of this special gift to your son. How wonderful!

I have a 2 1/2 year old son myself. I know how our kids capture our hearts.

Could you tell me more about this project?

1.) When do you need this project to be delivered to you?

2.) How do you want the video delivered? Does a private YouTube or Vimeo video link in HD video work or would you rather a direct download?

3.) When do you have time to sit down over a phonecall or video to share with me more about your son, his personality, likes and dislikes, some of your favorite things about him, as well as some of your favorite memories made together? I want to make the song as personable as possible. You can text me your availability -…………………

Once I get your response with your delivery requirements, I’ll collect your deposit (50%) and we can start moving forward in the project’s completion.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

- Adjoa

—

Adjoa
Actually, His birthday is on the 22nd of this month, a direct video download would be perfect. I just want something different from the traditional happy birthday song.

His name is….. We call him …. though and his favorite show is PJ Mask, but he is in love with Spider-Man. You’d probably want to talk about his puppy Rocky too, they’re best friends haha. We’d love to have the video a day or 2 days before his birthday. Is that possible?

—

Neal,

Sounds great!

A Dec 20th direct download video delivery for a Dec 22nd bday it is. Let me know when you have availability for a 30 min phone call to talk more about your son with me. After we get the time slot in we can move forward on payment logistics. I’m available on….
In our time I want to know as much about the who/what/when/where & why of ….. Tell me more about Rocky his BFF/puppy. Besides PJ Masks and Spider-Man what are his favorite toys, games, movies, books, characters, playground activities, sports, hobbies, friends, teachers, etc. Is he a fan of a specific type of music? Are there any songs he’s drawn to singing over & over?

Looking forward to connecting soon,

Adjoa

—

Neal,

Just checking in if you got my last email on Tuesday. Would love to get something in the calendar ASAP so I can write you the best song possible. Let me know if Friday morning or Saturday afternoon works for you.

Thanks, Adjoa

—

Hello Adjoa! Sorry for the late reply... My schedule has been tight as I'm working on an important project.

Do let me know if you can work with the information I gave you and I'd like to make a deposit of $ for start and balance $ upon completion.

-Neal

—

Neal,

Totally understand. Absolutely I can work with the information you provided. One request though, do you have a picture or three of ….. and your family and your dog? A picture is worth a thousand words so it would help me flesh out more of the story. Here's a picture of my family (for reference) featuring my son’s favorite stuffed animal flying through the air. You can attach as many photos as you want that will speak to his interests.

Blessings,

Adjoa

—

I have attached some photos... They are recent photos sent by my wife as I have been away from home for 2 weeks now.

Can you work with these photos?

-Neal

—

These are great!

Thank you!

What cuties.

Here's my first draft (trying lyrics first... may change the format once music added)

Wanted to make sure you liked the point of view.

PRE-CHORUS

Oh <Sonny> can’t you see

how much you mean to me

Oh <Sonny> I hope you know

I love watching you grow

CHORUS:

So Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to you

Oh sweet little boy

You’re getting older now

Oh my pride and joy

You’ve turned my world upside-down

In the best way, in the best way

While you're running down the halls

Shouting that you’re Spiderman

In the background of my calls

And I love how you proclaim

You’re here to save the day

You’re my favorite, I don’t want my life

any other way.

PRE-CHORUS

Oh <Sonny> can’t you see

how much you mean to me

Oh <Sonny> I hope you know

I love watching you grow

CHORUS:

So Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to you

The best older brother

To your little sis

When I am away from you

There’s so much that I miss.

Watching you run round the yard

With our great Rocky dog

While realizing one day

You’ll be taller than your mom.

Has me counting every second til

I see your smiling face

Holding you within my arms

The gift of your embrace.

PRE-CHORUS

Oh <Sonny> can’t you see

how much you mean to me

Oh <Sonny> I hope you know

I love watching you grow

CHORUS:

So Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to you

(more to come for a BRIDGE and Verse 3, what do you think so far... any changes, or things you feel l'm missing?)

- Adjoa

—

I think it's great, can't wait for the finished product... Also, I'm paying from my business checking account which doesn’t support 3rd party apps. It’s a check. You can scan it to deposit via the deposit option on your mobile bank app.

What name should the check be made out to?

-Neal

—

A Paper Check?

-Adjoa

—

Yes, I will be emailing you an image of the check which you can then deposit. Any problem with that?

-Neal

—

I offer a digital payment option via PayPal

https://www.paypal.me……

-Adjoa

—

SILENCE (crickets for a day)

—

Neal

Id love to continue moving forward with the song process with you.

PayPal is the platform I’m currently using. If there’s another digital platform that works better for you I am willing to setup something with you that way.

I do not accept cash payments, checks or scanned images of checks. Please let me know how you’d like to move forward.

- Adjoa

—

SILENCE (crickets again)

—

Hi Neal,

Just checking in from our last correspondence.

Tomorrow is the last day before delivery day, and I would love to deliver a product to you by your desired date.

Please let me know if you can make the deposit to my paypal account - https://www.paypal.me….

so I can continue working on this special bday song for your son.

Thanks,

Adjoa

—

SILENCE (crickets in a harmonious chorus)

—

Neal,

I'm guessing that this was not what I thought it was from your lack of response.

If you're not aware why I don't take e-checks see the following:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-fake-check-scams

https://www.creditkarma.com/money/i/consequences-of-depositing-a-fake-check

I hope you have a good holiday season.

Blessings,

Adjoa

Some protective measures I personally took once I felt things were fishy:

I googled the name of the person and their email. Nothing came up.
I google searched the images of their family they sent me to see if they were pictures from a catalogue or a stock image that was available online.
I googled whether it was safe to have someone send me an image of a check to deposit into my account. (That info is in the links throughout this newsletter)

When did I start to feel off?

When they didn’t want to meet up over the phone or video. My thought was why would they be willing to pay for the cost of a personalized project but not put the time investment into it to personalize it? They would be getting a very general and vague song… that didn’t make sense to me especially when its someone like your son.
In the images he sent me he never even acknowledged the presence or name of his daughter in the pictures.

What was the tipping point for me?

When he told me he would be paying firstly through his business checking account (for a personal gift). Secondly that his account doesn’t support 3rd party apps (what accounts don’t support 3rd party apps these days??). Thirdly that it was payment from a check and that I could scan it to deposit via the deposit option on your mobile bank app. Honestly, I’ve never heard of that and it made me super confused and uncomfortable.
After doing my research I decided to respond with what worked best for me instead of what he was requesting I do.

The real consequences of depositing a fake check from someone:

You may be responsible for repaying the entire amount of the check. ...
You may have to pay overdraft fees. ...
The bank can close or freeze your account. ...
It can damage your credit. ...
You may have to pay late fees. ...
It can affect your banking history.
*Depositing a fake check isn’t good under any circumstances. But the severity of the consequences will depend on multiple factors — including whether you were the victim of check fraud or knowingly deposited a bogus check.
-SOURCE: Credit Karma

How can I protect myself from fake check scams?

Here are some things you can do to help protect yourself from check fraud.

Verify the check with the bank. If you receive a check, contact the bank that issued the check to verify its legitimacy. Don’t call the number listed on the check — counterfeit checks often have fake numbers. Instead, look up the bank’s customer service number on its website.
Check the amount. If someone owes you money and writes you a check, review the check amount. If it’s for more than what you’re owed, that’s a red flag.
Don’t send money. There’s no reason someone would write you a check and then ask you to pay fees. If you’re asked to send money after receiving a check, you’re likely dealing with a scammer.
Wait until the check is verified. While it may take weeks before the check is verified, it’s a good practice to wait to spend the funds until the bank has reviewed the check. It pays to be careful, especially if you’re getting a check from strangers.

-SOURCE: Credit Karma

Let me know what you think. Have you experienced anything like this?

In what ways can we take these kind of moments and turn them around for our benefit?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

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