Do you have any way to determine if the event he wants you to work is an ACTUAL event?

Dave T2

The event is a welcome back party that he is throwing for a friend.
As of right now, the location is unspecified.

the money order scam is a common one, as they money orders don't clear the bank, even though they ask you to "Send the difference" ... I'd never do any bs like that, it IS a scam - stay clear.

google "money order scam" to find:

http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/moalert.htm

http://www.lets-ride.com/classifiedadvertisements/thescams.htm


etc


Ken

Yeah, I understand the money order scam...I'm just confused as of why after I declined his request, he is willing to pay the exact amount with enough time for his payment to clear.

I'm just confused as of why after I declined his request, he is willing to pay the exact amount with enough time for his payment to clear.

First of all, scammers are, if nothing else, persistent. You replied, so he got you "hooked." Now, all he's trying to do is "reel you in." That's why it's referred to as "phishing."

Now, let's suppose this poor misguided soul is legit (but let's not hold our breath), and he is willing to pay the exact amount, etc., once the cash is in your account, then you take the next step, and not until.

But above all else, DO NOT send anyone any money for any reason. That is not in your job description as a videographer!

Even though you're fully aware of his ploy, I would be very leary about providing even a shred of personal information to this oh-so-obvious scammer - (address, phone number - anything.).

This works one of two ways:

1/ The payment in advance will be some sort of cashiers check that will fool even the bank at first. It will take quite a while before the fact that it isn't real to get through the bank's bureaucracy. The period in time where it seems like the money has really been transferred and when the error gets caught is when the scam takes place.

2/ Somehow, your account information is given to the scam artist so he can transfer money into your account. He uses this information to clean you out.

As someone who has learned about scams the hard way, the only thing you should do is pass on the correspondence to authorities. The more you correspond with this guy, the more likely you are to get taken.

Who does the somehow and how?
JJK

perhaps tell him to get a hold of you when he's stateside again?

just sounds fishy to me. i picture a loaded gun at the event when you get there. :(

Jimingo, Always listen to your instincts. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. The very fact that you posted this thread should tell you the answer.

Peter

Got the same request from a guy in Germany who wanted me to film his wedding in Germany - I would get all expenses paid - then he sent me acheck mfor twice the amount I requested then asked me to pay him the diffrence etc - you get the idea. I called the bank in Ireland that it was supposed to be drwn upon - and the bank executive who signed the cheach had been retired for three years etc ...... I think you got the idea now. A Swedish woman had to pay back LOTS of cash since she drew (what turmed out to be false) funds recieved by a similar "offer"

I'd also say that him agreeing to pay doesn't mean you'll ever see a check. Could just be his standard operating procedure once he realizes a scam isn't going to come off (i.e., agree to the terms, and then disappear, hoping you'll forget about it to and not go to the authorities).

If ANY, I mean, ANY job makes you uncomfortable. DO NOT DO IT. Don't even think about it. Trust your instincts. Your instincts will serve you better than a wad of cash in your pocket.

The money is never worth the risk. Even if you're hurting for jobs.

The persistance of some of these scammers is amazing. I recently activated an old yahoo profile just for fun. Within a few hours i started getting IMs from various ladies wanting to befriend me. Interestingly enough, all of them were 23 years old, originally from central NY state, had been in California for a few years, then moved to Nigeria to live with their moms after their parents got divorced. All of them were working in their moms' garment/fashion boutiques, but were temporarily out of work because the insurgents had bombed the store. Now they were hoping to get enough cash together to move back to NY, and hopefully get a chance to meet me.

Now, the first time you hear this story you might be bewildered. But after hearing it over 30 times ... well, it's downright laughable. I strung one of them on for a few weeks just seeing how far she (he? it?) would go. Even after making it clear that i had no extra money and couldn't help in any way, she/he/it still kept wanting to talk and get to know me better.

Eventually i just started being very rude and insulting or even obscene in my initial replies, letting them know in no uncertain terms that i knew this was a scam and exactly what i thought of them. Even still, some of them spent days trying to convince me that they were honest and not like those other scammers. *sheesh*

Remeber, that overseas checks and money orders may take 3 months to clear. If he sends you a money order drawn on a foreign bank, I would reject it outright. I would only take funds drawn on a local bank, and then let 45 days go by before you consider it cleared.

The basic rule these days is that a cashier's checks means nothing. There place has been taken by electronic funds transfers. Accept only a wire and you bank will confirm when it is received.

Yeah, but wiring money means giving someone your account information.