Another scammer . . .

Here is a follow up email from the previous one:

You want to hear something wild. Chris is not the first one in the scam to contact us on the truck. The First one came in August from someone who calls themselves Ketty Debra06 email address: kettydebra07@live.com. My husband didn’t tell me about this one, because he never responded after the second email from this person. I found it when I was cleaning up his in box. My husband over the weekend ended up telling Chris Palmer to F-Off. Then he re-listed the truck. About 2-3 hours after he re-listed the truck we were contacted by yet another individual in this little scam ring of madness. Name: Giovanni Gibson: email address: giogibson16@live.com. So all in all, we got hit three times on the same truck with the same scam. Sheeesh. Thank goodness we never fell for any of this. I will not bother you with this anymore. I just figure, the more email address put out there that they are using the more people are aware and hopefully protected.

Another Chris Palmer Sighting .. .

I received this email a few weeks ago and I'm just getting around to posting it . . .

Arlene,

I was reading your emails to Chris Palmer. My Husband and I have just recently been contact by him for the same sort of thing. We were selling a dump truck on Craig’s List and also received a fraudulent check, in which we were very suspicious. We did not cash the check in fact I contact the company that the check was drawn off of and they told me they are aware of the scam and have authorities working on it. In the mean time my husband has also been messing with this guy. We have not sent him anything yet, but he is thinking of sending him a dollar as well to see where the money is being picked up at.

By the way, Chris has changed his email address from segno_12@hotmail to segno12@hotmail, (without the underscore) just in case you wanted to contact him…ha-ha-ha.

Sincerely

Earlette

Ok, this might be too much detail

While cruising thru Craigslist, I came upon this ad:

Very nice solid wood baby bed and matching chest about 30 years old, needs a baby and mattress and it is ready to go. 812-327-xxxx.

There was no picture . . . but they did warn you that it didn't have a mattress OR a baby with it. Truth in advertising I guess!

Oh Yeah!

I was just reviewing some things as I was updating Scam Man's email addresses and realized I have some news . . .

I chose NOT to sell the Mazda or Blazer. Sorry, but I love both of them.

And, the guy came and picked up the blue truck with the snow plow.

AND, the bed is sold! YAY!

A graduate student bought it a few weeks ago and paid cash. He was such a sweet guy and was thrilled to have a nearly new bed.

I also found the geese.

But, now I have two dressers I want to sell so that I can buy a new one of a different style.

I'm a sucker for trouble.

Oh, and I heard a phrase that made me laugh the other day . . .I've noted several times in here that I am a deep believer in Karma . . . so . . .

Opportunity knocks. Karma chases your ass down!

LOVE IT! LIVE IT!

And it's only been a month . . .

Dear readers . . . I told you I had a lot going on.

But, this week has prompted me to get back to the blog. It seems that I'm always blogging (usually my personal one), on Facebook, on My Space or looking up oddball stuff on the internet.

It doesn't help that I have a Blackberry. It makes me feel that I constantly have to be "connected". I also have a super short attention span.

But, back to sharing . . . I guess I'll start with the oldest one tonight and then move on to some others as the weekend goes.

I'm having a lot of drama (very Jerry Springer) going on in my extended family, so I don't know what the weekend has in store for me.

But, enough about me and my woes.

Here's an email that was sent to me in the last few months that includes someone else's story. BE AWARE THAT I HAVE CHANGED THE PERSON'S NAME SO THAT THEIR IDENTITY IS SAFE!

Hello, I found your blog and oh... am I glad I did! The e-mails below are conversations I have had the past two days with this David Frank. I posted onto your blog too but I thought I would e-mail you my messages back and fourth with him. It sounds identical to the first couple that were back and fourth between the two of you. I haven't e-mailed him back yet. I am wondering what I should
say or if I should just not reply? I want him to know that he got caught though. Thank you for your blog and the help you are giving everyone!



Earlette (Earl and Earlette will be the anonymous names)



-----Original Message-----
From: David Franck >
To: EARLETTE
Sent: Sun, 22 Jun 2008 8:05 am
Subject: The 1991 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 4WD, asking $2,000 OBO - $2000 (Spokane South Hill)

Thanks for responding to my email. I am interested in it and ready to purchase it. The easiest way for me to make the payment to you is Bank Check from my Bank. I have no problem with you waiting for the check to go through at your bank to clear, I will wait for your bank to verify and clear the Check before we proceed with shipment. Attach a pics of it for me to see how beautifull it is and email me your full name and address with your phone number for me to send you the check. Thanks.

Please Email me back and let me know if this helps

Best Regards

David Franck
710 South East
Orem, UT 84097


----------------
To: dfranck7213@hotmail.com >
Subject: Re: 1991 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 4WD, asking $2,000 OBO - $2000 (Spokane
South Hill)
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:36:35 -0400
From: Earlette


Yes, the S10 Blazer is still for sale. If you are interested please give my husband a call, Earl's number is 555-555-5555. Thank you,

Earlette



-----Original Message-----
From: David Franck > >
To: Earlette
Sent: Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:38 pm
Subject: 1991 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 4WD, asking $2,000 OBO - $2000 (Spokane South Hill)

Hello,
Let me know if you still have it for sale.

Thanks.

My response back to Earlette's email was:
Earlette -

I am glad that you found my blog and you are not going to get scammed because of it. I have not had much luck with the authorities. But, there is someone who is having some luck because the check is written in the name of an insurance company which makes it insurance fraud.

You can either cut ties with him or play the game like I did. Either way, I suggest you notify the authorities.

I am seriously thinking of getting my story out to the national media. I have the contacts for it but hadn't really had the desire for it. Now that my little blog has become so popular, I need to do something about it. Within the first few days of posting the blog, I had hundreds of hits. Now I am over 5k. I think Fate and Karma are pointing me in the direction to actively expose this
man.

I have heard SO many stories from people and his emails are always the same.

I am going to post a map where people can anonymously show their location just out of curiosity.

I am thrilled that this helping others. We have to watch out for each other.

Arlene

Ok, I'm back . . .again.

For those of you who know me, I am easily distracted and I have a pretty busy life.

So, I keep saying that I will get back to this blog, but it never seems like a priority to me.

I have some things I need to post (there are some people who have agreed to let me use their correspondence without their names/email addresses.

Hang in there . . . I will get back to this during the week.

Right now I am in the process of planning a wedding for my nephew, I have a HORRIBLE head cold with an ear infection AND I'm being two people at work.

I have also adjusted the settings on the blog so that I will get an email when anyone leaves a comment so that I can right back to you.

By the way, the bed is STILL in my spare bedroom. I can't win for losing.

Ok, off topic . . .

But, I might as well use my little audience for good.

I have come across the following link and am facinated by it. Be sure to watch the Food Network clip! It's another case of "Why didn't I think of that?".

http://stickermanproduceart.wordpress.com

So, if you want to do something positive for the world today (remember, I am not one to go out and save the world), here is what you can do:

1. Save your stickers. Barry mainly uses fruit stickers, but he DOES use other kinds. I suggest saving them on a piece of wax paper.

2. Send them to Barry. I guess you could send them to me if you would like and I could send them to him. I work with a relative of his and she can pack them up and send them to him.

3. Buy some of Barry's prints.

No, I am not plugging him because I feel he needs the money. I am plugging it because I love the concept and his artwork.

It's time again.

I have decided that it's time to sell my Mazda and Blazer. For those of you who know me, you know that I love both of them. But, I had to put the Mazda in the shop (the first time for an 11 year old car) and spent over $500 on it.

The Blazer is just too much of a gas guzzeler and my husband hates the thing.

So, if I get a chance to speak with him tonight, I am going to discuss selling them and buying myself something else. I am seriously considering a minivan. Michelle, don't laugh out loud. I already told Trina.

I'm sure my ads for the two vehicles will probably draw out scam man again. Maybe when he asks for a picture this time, I'll send him a picture of an animal?

I was thinking about this one:



My husband took it while out fishing one day. Apparently, the beaver was fishing also.

Oh, and the blue truck that I put up for sale (with the snow plow) is sold. The guy just hasn't come to pick it up yet. I trust him though because he is a good friend of the hubby's.

Back to Craig's List

Ok, I'm back on Craig's List again. This time, instead of selling something, I am looking to buy something.

I am in search of 2 Adult White Geese. It's a long story, but we need to find some.

Sex is unimportant, but I think that if you are having sex with birds (particularly geese) you are one sick puppy.

So, if you are reading this, and apparently I have a following, and you know of someone in the Bloomington, IN area that has white geese, please let me know. I would really appreciate it.

I'm also considering putting something on there for sale to see if I can draw Scam Man out again. I have a suspision that the last guy was Scam Man with a different alias since he disappeared on me so quickly.

Also, thank you to those who have either commented or emailed me to let me know how you found out about my blog and to share how you heard about it. An even bigger thank you to those who let me know that I helped them to avoid being scammed by him when they googled his name and found my blog.

I really appreciate it.

Scam Man's Email Address

Apparently Scam Man has a new email address.

He's now at segno_12@hotmail.com

Feel free to get in touch with him!

The article

Ok, finally, I am posting the article that I was interviewed for. The local newspaper here is the Bloomington Herald-Times.

Arlene Davis smelled a rat.

So she toyed with her catch for several days before frustrating him with a tiny speck of cheese.

Now she wants to alert the public about the attempted scam, which she suspects has victimized a number of people in south-central Indiana.


Initial contact
It began several weeks ago, when the Bloomingtonwoman posted a queen-sized bed for sale on craigslist.org.

A man e-mailed her, saying he was interested in the bed, but didn’t have time to come see it.

He agreed to pay $300 — $50 less than her original asking price — saying his bank soon would mail her a check. He added that he’d arrange for a moving company to pick up the bed and take it to Ohio.

“Since we’re in a college town, I thought the story sounded fairly reasonable,” she said. “But something just seemed weird.”


Red flags
A few weeks later, the man informed her by e-mail that UPS would deliver her the check that day, but the bank had made a mistake — making it out for a little more than the $300.

“I thought he might be a college student who was buying the bed and shipping it back home,” she said. “I figured he’d told his parents the price of the bed was $350, and wanted me to give him the $50 difference so he could spend it on beer.”

Later that day, when Davis opened the UPS package, she found a check from the man for $2,000, along with a request to wire the $1,700 overpayment to a friend of his in Florida.

“Red flags jumped up everywhere,” she said. “It was a fairly real-looking fake check, but it didn’t look quite right. I decided I needed to buy some time to alert the authorities.” The check turned out to be bogus, and had she followed instructions, she’d now be short $1,700.


Laying out the cheese
Instead, she told the man via e-mail that she wanted to cash the check before wiring his “friend” the money. He said he needed at least some of the cash that night to handle a personal emergency.

That night she e-mailed him, telling him the wire transfer service she was using for money transfers was down, making it impossible for her to send the money until the next morning.

The next morning, she told him she had an emergency herself, and would be unable to wire the money until later that day.

“I made up those stories to give me time to notify authorities,” she said.

Davis called local law enforcement officials, whom she said directed her to the FBI. She said a FBI agent told her to file an online complaint with the agency.


Back at you
Then it was payback time. She went to Wal-Mart and wired the man a grand total of $1.

“I was annoyed because he’d wasted my time,” she said. “I wanted to waste some of his time.”

At Wal-Mart, she said a saleswoman asked her why she was spending $11.46 to wire $1.

“When I explained my situation, the saleswoman said I was the fourth person that week who’d come in to wire money for either the same scam or one similar to it,” she said. “She said I was the only one of the four who didn’t wire the entire amount. One of the victims was an elderly woman.”

Davis said the Wal-Mart saleswoman encouraged her to report the scam by phone to the money transfer service. She did just that, and the company, which has a policy in place that covers such scam attempts,returned her $12.46 for making the report.


Taking care of customers
“The Wal-Mart saleswoman really seemed to care,” Davis said. “She was doing her best to prevent people from being scammed.”

Phillip Keene, spokesman for Wal-Mart, said, “The safety and security of our customers and associates is a top priority at Wal-Mart, and this case is just one of the many examples of how we care about our neighbors and the communities we serve.”

After wiring $1 to the would-be scammer, Davis informed him by e-mail that she was onto him and had alerted federal authorities.

“He answered me and accused me of not sending him the money I owed him,” she said. “That made me laugh out loud.”

Davis has been e-mailing the scoundrel consistently since then, rubbing salt in his wound, but he has not replied.

“I want people to watch out for this scam,” she said. “They need to be smart, especially when some stranger is asking you to wire him money.”


Watch out for yourself
Monroe County Prosecutor Chris Gaal agrees, saying this scam is a variation of the classic Nigerian dignitary e-mail appeal for money in exchange for the promise of more.

“Your first line of defense is to educate yourself as a consumer,” he said. “It’s far better to prevent a scam from happening than trying to react to the scam after the fact.”

Gaal said even if law enforcement officials are able to find one of these e-mail predators — which can be extremely difficult — it may be hard to extradite him.

“And even if you can get that accomplished and get a conviction, the scam artist may not have any money left,” he said.

Oh my goodness!

I just received an email from another couple who have a gentleman named "Chris Palmer" trying to scam them.

I have emailed themn to get permission to include their story here.

But, in the meantime, as I was emailing them to get their permission, I decided to pop into the blog which I have neglected for quite a while.

There are over 5,000 hits on it . . . goodness me. I can't believe my little blog is getting this kind of attention.

Please feel free to comment or email me and let me know how you heard about my blog.

Email #10

From: arlenedavis@att.blackberry.net

Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 21:37:15
To:"David Franck"
Subject: Re: Check Truck for Sale - $2500 (North)


David -

Ok. I'll just put it in the bed of the truck.

God's Blessings!

Arlene
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

To date, I still haven't received my fake check.

Email #9

From: David Franck

Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 09:40:25
To:
Subject: RE: Check Truck for Sale - $2500 (North)


No..dont Hook it up. Thanks

Isn't it nice that he doesn't want me to go to any extra trouble?

Email #8

To: dfranck7213@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Check Truck for Sale - $2500 (North)
From: arlenedavis@att.blackberry.net
Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 13:07:46 +0000

David -

Sounds good. Do you want the plow hooked up to it before it's shipped or do you want us to just put it in the bed of the truck?

God'd Blessings!
Arlene Davis
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Email #7

From: David Franck

Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 00:34:42
To:
Subject: Check Truck for Sale - $2500 (North)


Alright. The check will not take more that 2 to 3 days to clear as soon as you get it deposited. When the check clears, You can Just send the remaining money to the Shipping Company and they can Proceed with the Pickup Immediately. The check will be mailed today, and get to you Lates by Monday or Tuesday Morning. Thanks.


David.

Email #6

From: arlenedavis@att.blackberry.net

Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 19:43:47
To:"David Franck"
Subject: Re: Check Truck for Sale - $2500 (North)


David -

That sounds fine to me. You can send the check to:
Arlene Davis
2501 XXXXXXXXXX
Bloomington, IN. 47403

How long do you think it will take for the check to clear and get the shipping company to pick it up? I really need the space in my driveway. I am having to park two of our trucks in the yard right next to the toilet and bathtub that we use for planters.

Arlene Davis
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Email #5

From: David Franck

Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 17:48:21
To:
Subject: Check Truck for Sale - $2500 (North)


The check will be mailed out to you tomorrow and will probably get to you Friday Morning, I will be mailing a check of of $5500.to your address.You will deduct $2500, and send the excess fund of $3000 to the Private shipping company for them to come for pick up, they still have some items to pick up in state with yours. Since you are satisfied with my mode of payment you can proceed to delete the advert. So email me the name and address that is going to be on the check with your phone number...


Regards
David Franck
710 South 560 East
Orem, UT 84097

Email #4

From: arlenedavis@att.blackberry.net

Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 19:19:40
To:"David Franck"
Subject: Re: The Truck for Sale - $2500 (North)


David -

Great! I am attaching a picture of it. You can send the check to:
Arlene Davis
2501 XXXXXXXXX
Bloomington, IN. 47403

Once the check gets here, I can call you if you would like and we can discuss how/when it can be picked up.

God's Blessings!
Arlene Davis
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Email #3 - The trap is set . . . . mmmm . .. I smell cheese

From: David Franck

Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 12:26:45
To:
Subject: The Truck for Sale - $2500 (North)


Thanks for responding to my email. I am interested in it and ready to purchase it. The easiest way for me to make the payment to you is Bank Check from my Bank. I have no problem with you waiting for the Check to go through at your bank to clear, I will wait for your bank to verify and clear the Check before we proceed with shipment. Attach a pics of it for me to see how beautifull it is and email me your full name and address with your phone number for me to send you the check. Thanks.

Please Email me back and let me know if this helps

Best Regards


David Franck
710 South 560 East
Orem, UT 84097

Surely this guy is legit . . . he even included his email addres . . right? Yeah, right! And, he wants to see how beautiful the truck is. Apparently the pictures that I posted do not do it justice?

I've got to play with this guy . . . I HAVE to! Karma is telling me to.