Scammers on AppraiserUSA.com "Beware"

[Andrew Urbanek]

I was engaged to perform an appraisal assignment based off of my listing with appraiserusa.com. However, it turns out it is just a scam artists looking to defraud people. I was FEDEX'd a check for $3,000 and told to deduct my fee of $300 and wire the rest to them. Since, I have half a brain I did not fall for it and have sent everything to the secret service. Below are the last and first emails that I received from them.

THE LAST EMAIL

Andrew,

Thanks for the payment acknowledgment. As per instructions received from my client, I was informed that the check you received is higher than the appraisal fee. I will like you to go ahead and have the check cashed this morning, have your appraisal fee deducted and have the remaining funds wired via western union money transfer to my travelling agent who is going to arrange my flight down to Miami tomorrow morning because right now, am in New Mexico doing some jobs. Here is the receivers name and address:

Name: Kenneth Long
City: Garnett
State: Kansas
Zip Code: 66032

I will await the western union transfer details this morning so he can have my flight booked. I will also need the following transfer details needed in picking up the funds; they are:

Name and Address of Sender
Money Transfer Control Number
Amount wired after deducting your fee and western union transfer charges.

Kindly advise.

Thank You

FIRST EMAIL

The message below was submitted by a web site visitor who saw your
listing for your appraisal services that you entered at:
http://AppraiserUSA.com - It was submitted by mindtraccsv@aol.com from
(74.77.240.103) on Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 12:50:09. Please note
that although this was sent via the AppraiserUSA.com contact form, that
AppraiserUSA.com is not responsible for the content of this message. If
this email contains spam please forward it to AppraiserUSA.com admin.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

name: Jimmy Walker

contact me by: Email

I am a: home buyer

message: Good day,

I require your service in appraising and valuating a property am
intending to buy. The Property Type is Condo-Townhouse and the Location is
6969 Collins Ave., Port Royale Condominiums Area, Miami, Miami-Dade
County, FL, 33141. Kindly let me know your fee and how many days it will it
take you to turn in the result. Will you be available to appraise the
apartment next week friday?

Kindly let me ASAP.

Thank You

message_size: 424

: --------- End of contact comments ------------------------- :

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[Smokey Bear]

Wayne's famous worldwide! Nigeria has discovered his website!

 

[Robert E Keller]

send him the wire information and let him know that your fee is 300 for the appraisal and 2699 for wire fraud. sorry that leaves 1.00 which will be brought to you at the airport by the FBI, have a wonderful flight
signed

notborn lastnight
agent 007

 

[Andrew Urbanek]

Yes...and apparently the hard times are hitting nigeria as well....I can remember back to a time where I was "offered," millions of dollars for my sensitive account information...now they just wanna offer a measlily appraisal fee and take you for a few thousand....geez these nigerians have really been studying up on the AMC business model...lol.

 

[Carnivore]

Here is how this works, if I understand this scam.

You cash the check, you get all the money, you send the money less your fee. A few days later your bank does a charge back for $3,000.

The scammers got $2,700 and you got $300 and now you owe the bank the total $3,000. The scammers are long gone. Probably on a cruise.

 

[Robert E Keller]

yep back to nigeria

 

[Andrew Urbanek]

Yes but the annoying thing is for the last week I have been emailing with this deuch back and forth regarding setting up an appointment time to do the appraisal inspection (it was supposed to be for tomorrow, Friday). I wasted time doing research and opening my schedule for Friday...a few hours that I could have used for servicing my real clients or doing something fun or productive.

It wasn't until I opened up the fedex letter today (it was sent priority overnight) and saw a check for $3k and from a third party no less (a public highschool in Raleigh, NC) that I knew Denmark was not only rotten but on fire to boot.

Arg...wonder what they will do with my information now!

Here is how this works, if I understand this scam.

You cash the check, you get all the money, you send the money less your fee. A few days later your bank does a charge back for $3,000.

The scammers got $2,700 and you got $300 and now you owe the bank the total $3,000. The scammers are long gone. Probably on a cruise.

 

[JRS at OBX]

It's called a 419 scam which is named after the legal code in Nigeria. There is a pretty good website, 419eater.com, which is pretty good for those slow days in the office. These folks at 419eater harass the scammers and make them jump through all kinds of hoops in hopes of getting some money. Check it out.

 

[Tudor]

They are cheap, they only wanted to pay $300. for the appraisal and nothing for your extra time sending them back the $2,700.

 

[Head Surfer]

Hi Andrew,

Per our previous email conversation today the person has been blocked from using our site.

However beware that scammers frequently use hijacked internet connections. Very simple to do with a wireless connection in an urban area. We have blocked that particular IP address from using our site but likely they will return under a different one and with a different name and email address.

I advise anyone not to do any work for an unknown client without getting paid up front. And getting paid up front means after the payment clears.

Please be aware that this scam can take place regardless of the contact method used and is not specific to AppraiserUSA.com. It could happen from a yellow pages contact, your own personal web site contact or in any number of ways. It is up to every one who runs a business to be vigilant and aware of such scams and to use common sense, just like Andrew did in this case. Only someone who is very naive would deposit a check and send money for the difference to the so called "client".

I do urge anyone that has had a problem to forward the original contact form to me and I will block the user. No need to forward this one to me because it is already blocked.