Director Scam Alert: Beware of Fake Purchase Requests via Email

[imported_iteachurkid]

Just wanted you all to know about an email I received on Sunday night. This was the email:

Hello Pampered Chef Consultant,

Please quote to me your company's price for the following items :

ITEM NAM ITEM NUMBER QTY
Cranberry Windowpane Placemats #2461 2
Dots Beverage Glass-Large (Set of 4) #2287 2
Ice Bucket & Shaker Set #2284 1
Three Tiered Stand #1953 2
White Windowpane Placemats #2462 2
Appetizer Plates & Caddy Set #2061 1
Forged Steak Knife Set #1058 1
9" Pie Plate #1511 2

Please indicate all prices plus shipping and tax for Atlanta GA.

I am making this purchase for my sister in GA, Who will be getting married soon.

I expect to read from you.
Thanks
Vanessa


I got super excited thinking this was someone on my email list and wrote her back telling her how I could save her $100 by putting it as a show, etc. Tonight I got this response:

Hello Jennifer,

How is your weekend going ? Thanks for getting back to me with the prices for the Pampered Chef Items, I will be making the purchase through you. I hope I will be able to trust in you with getting the items to her in a timely matter, I got your contact information of the Pampered Chef Web page.

You will be shipping directly to her for me, Am sure she will appreciate this as a gift from me, Below is her address for shipping :

Alice Sanders
3386 Sable Chase Ln
Atlanta, GA 30349

I will want everything to be order and delivered to her address as soon as payment is settled. Get back to me with your Full Name and Address and I will issue a cashiers check to your Address later in the week which will be delivered by UPS next day air.

I will expect to read from you if this is okay with you.
Thanks
Vanessa Marks


I started to question some of the wording in the email (it's Tuesday, not the weekend) as well as the fact that she said she found my name on the Pampered Chef website (I'm not eligbile for Home Office leads now). I emailed her back telling her I would wait for the check to clear before I submitted her order, then I decided to Google. Yep, found the exact same text sent to a Tastefully Simple consultant as well as a Lia Sophia consultant. Just wanted you to all be aware of the scam in case you received a similar email.


Jennifer

 

[chefkathy]

Ooh, that scam has been big on Craigslist too. The whole "I'll send you a cashier's check" thing. The checks are bogus.Be careful everyone!

 

[pamperedbecky]

Oh this is weird. One of my brand new consultants just emailed me and told me someone may have picked up her card from somewhere she left them out and it was a large order for her sister getting married! And she said she lives in GA! Crud!!! I'd better email her this right away. The weird thing is, she's brand new and I don't think she's made much presence online. Except she does have a FB page, but I don't know her privacy settings.

So, what's the person's motivation in this? What info are they trying to get? Maybe I didn't read the email thoroughly, but it's not like they are asking for money or anything, right?

Wow - weird! And I feel so badly for my new consultant who was all excited about this lead!

 

[BethCooks4U]

So, what's the person's motivation in this? What info are they trying to get? Maybe I didn't read the email thoroughly, but it's not like they are asking for money or anything, right?

I thought the same. I wonder if they have a CC # and need the zip code to use it (for authorization)?

Also, I didn't know cashiers checks could be bogus. How do you tell?

 

[pamperedbecky]

AFter looking into it more, I guess they send fake cashiers checks as payment, so if a consultant from whatever company places the order and ships it to them BEFORE they cash the check, then that's the scam.

Yep, my consultant confirmed with me that this was the same thing she got. She's pretty disappointed, but now knows not to get her hopes up about any order until the money is in the bank!

 

[pamperedlinda]

wow! good for you for catching that! I did a reverse address on 411.com and that is a real address for an Alicia Sanders - poor girl, I wonder if she's getting 'presents' from people or if she's actally the scammer??? It's also located in a not so good part of town.

 

[pamperedbecky]

Here's the response she sent my consultant when she told her she'd await her payment and ensure that it can be deposited before the order is placed:

Thanks for getting back to me with the details of the payment, I will forward this to my husband and he will have the Cashier's Check out to you tomorrow morning.

Am currently in Aruba for a Vacation. I will send you an email with the tracking as soon as I have it.

Thanks & Have a nice day
Vanessa
(512) 614-7815

How weird that she actually provides a phone number. And I wonder if this Alice person is in on it. Right - is she getting all kinds of orders in the mail?? This is such a scam!! How scary.

 

[finley1991]

Normally what happens is the person (or consultant here) deposits the check... it's normally written for way over the amount due.. so for like a $100 order, the cashier's check would be for $2500 and the sender says just to deposit the check and send the overage back. Then the bogus cashier's check bounces, but the overage has already been mailed in the form a good check from the consultant and it wipes out her checking account. Dateline, 20/20, Oprah and dozens of others have done shows on this but there are still people falling for it every day.

 

[cincychef]

Hello Pampered Chef Consultant,

Please quote to me your company's price for the following items :

ITEM NAM ITEM NUMBER QTY
Cranberry Windowpane Placemats #2461


Please indicate all prices plus shipping and tax for Atlanta GA.

I am making this purchase for my sister in GA, Who will be getting married soon.

I expect to read from you.
Thanks
Vanessa


Hello Jennifer,

How is your weekend going ? Thanks for getting back to me with the prices for the Pampered Chef Items, I will be making the purchase through you. I hope I will be able to trust in you with getting the items to her in a timely matter, I got your contact information of the Pampered Chef Web page.

You will be shipping directly to her for me, Am sure she will appreciate this as a gift from me, Below is her address for shipping :

Alice Sanders
3386 Sable Chase Ln
Atlanta, GA 30349

I will want everything to be order and delivered to her address as soon as payment is settled. Get back to me with your Full Name and Address and I will issue a cashiers check to your Address later in the week which will be delivered by UPS next day air.

I will expect to read from you if this is okay with you.
Thanks
Vanessa Marks


I started to question some of the wording in the email (it's Tuesday, not the weekend) as well as the fact that she said she found my name on the Pampered Chef website (I'm not eligbile for Home Office leads now). I emailed her back telling her I would wait for the check to clear before I submitted her order, then I decided to Google. Yep, found the exact same text sent to a Tastefully Simple consultant as well as a Lia Sophia consultant. Just wanted you to all be aware of the scam in case you received a similar email.


Jennifer

My husband does a lot of selling on ebay and craigslist and the number of scammers out there is incredible. I just wanted to add that both of these emails are full of red flags that it is a scam. Anytime someone uses in correct grammar or mis-spells common words it is almost always a scam. Also the tone of the email, it sounds like you are talking to someone who is from out of the country and how they are kind of ordering you around is another big red flag. Thanks for letting all of us know that now they are targeting direct sellers.:yuck:

 

[chefkathy]

Jennifer, I would send this to HO so they can be aware.

 

[pamperedbecky]

Jennifer, I would send this to HO so they can be aware.

Good point. Especially if a new consultant is the recipient of this, they get all excited and may fall for it. Maybe the HO can send it out in one of the weekly emails.

 

[pamperedlinda]

someone on CS just said this happened to her too http://www.chefsuccess.com/f105/scammed-68275/

 

[imported_iteachurkid]

Here's the response she sent my consultant when she told her she'd await her payment and ensure that it can be deposited before the order is placed:

Thanks for getting back to me with the details of the payment, I will forward this to my husband and he will have the Cashier's Check out to you tomorrow morning.

Am currently in Aruba for a Vacation. I will send you an email with the tracking as soon as I have it.

Thanks & Have a nice day
Vanessa
(512) 614-7815

How weird that she actually provides a phone number. And I wonder if this Alice person is in on it. Right - is she getting all kinds of orders in the mail?? This is such a scam!! How scary.

I got this exact same response today (I had written her before I did more investigating). What PC email should I send it to? Solution Center? Maybe I'll just call...

I called. The girl I talked to hadn't heard of this yet, but had me send it to the solution center. I hope no one gets screwed with this.