Job Scam from Exclusive Wears?

[Cinka]

The other day I received this:

Dear Photographer,

My name is Tiffanie Caulfield, I'm a freelance modeling agent. I e-mailed you regarding your post on Guru.com – Find Freelancers for Hire. Get Your Project Done.. I was thrilled when i saw your work and I appreciate it. I work with a newly opened clothing store in California named Exclusive Wears. Currently we are working on promotional sales and advert for the store, There are some models that are ready for the publishing and posing of the Stores Sales Promo Magazine to boost their sales and help them pave there way up the clothing industry meeting up with the world of fashion today.

Sincerely I will be honored if i can work with you on this project, you can come on board has a professional Photographer, Shots will be taken to advertise the stores products ranging from casual wears,Dinner gowns,cooperate wears both for male and female.

Three fantastic models will be assigned to you,the models will be taking there shots for three hours meaning you will be needed for the same period of time. Let me know your charging plan for 3 hours just for a day shoot. The shot will be held on the 29th Dec. 2009 and the pictures will be used for the promotion sales and website designing.. The Store will be responsible for the provision of getting you to the studio where the shoot will be taking.In order to incorporate different flavor into the magazine the shoot will be taking in different cities,as soon as we both agree, the photographer will make arrangement for a suitable location for the shoot and he will be coming over to meet you up so that the shooting can be done in good time. Let me know if you're ok with $520 for 3 hours of your time and service for all 3 models.

In order to be certainly sure that i have you booked for that date,funds will be sent to you immediately on confirmation of your payment information as clearly outlined below this e-mail. After payment has been received, the photo shoot will be taken and sent to the store. The whole crew (the Hari Stylist,the models,the wardrobe manager) will be delighted to work with you.

In order for booking arrangements to be made as soon as possible, I need you to provide me with the following details:

Name in full….
Residential address in full….
City..
State...
Zip/postal code...
Phone number...(cell and home)
Age...
Sex...
E-mail Address:
Charges...$520 (3 hours)
Any previous experience...
I wait your quick response

Tiffanie Caulfield.

My spidey senses started tingling, but I decided to investigate further. I looked up the name of the girl, company, and info on whether this was a scam. I couldn't find any info aside from one other person on Model Mayhem saying they got the email and received a check, but didn't cash it. It sounds like a scam, but what puzzles me is: If they're sending me a check, how does the scam work? If it's a bad check, what happens if I try to cash it?

Has anyone else received emails like this or from the same people?

Thanks!
~Kristen

[TPF Sponsor]

[Cinka]

Update: I just called my bank to ask what MY penalties would be if I tried to cash I bad check and they said: A $4 fee and that's it.

So how does this work?

[Overread]

If it is a scam is simple - they "make an error" and overpay you. They then spin you a story that they need repayment fast and ask you to return the money. Of course their cheque will bounce, but if you send the money back before (in good faith) they get to keep the money you send them.

[KmH]

It's rife with syntax errors and puncuation errors.

"the models will be taking there shots for three hours meaning you will be needed for the same period of time".

That aint happenin' because there's set up and post processing time, not to mention nothing is said about use licensing for the images, copyright ownership, contracts, etc.

[Overread]

its a hack from the first line
"Dear Photographer,"

anyone who runs a professional online website will often have at the very least a webname or company name and anyone hiring a photographer would really put in enough time to view their website and find out this key information. Dear Photographer can arrive in any email address - and since it costs nothing to send it does not matter that most will lable it spam- afew will be photographers.

[jbylake]

Wanna really have some fun? Email them back, going into great detail, how you couldn't possibly accept money for such a valuable learning experience, with such a solid and reputable company. Offer to charter your own jet, make your own lodging arrangements, and bring your own staff or assistants. Offer to pay them for the experience, then send them a bad check. Go to some of the most disgusting porn sites you can find, select some ultra deviant (barely legal) pictures, download them, and send them as your most relevant representative work. Throw in a couple of lousy point and shoot photo's of a fire hydrant, just for good measure.

Make sure your cc includes (visible to all) their states attorney general, your states attorney general, the CIA, the NSA, the FBI, the National Orginzation for Women (NOW), and throw in a couple of Radical Muslim Jihadist's websites just for good measure. (No Veiled ladies please). Heck, might throw in the POTUS, just for fun.

Open a beer, coke, or whatever your vice of choice is. Set back, wait, but above all, have fun!

J.

[angiecandell]

I just got this same email. It was in my spam mail, and every once in a while, I go through it just to make sure. This can't be legit.

[PatrickHMS]

Offer to pay them for the experience, then send them a bad check.
J.

Sending them a bad check can get YOU in trouble, that'll really fix them but good...lol

We have an old family joke about a relative who is a really lousy driver "I'll get even with you, I'll wreck the car and kill all of us..."

[nsupanda]

Update: I just called my bank to ask what MY penalties would be if I tried to cash I bad check and they said: A $4 fee and that's it.

So how does this work?

WRONG! Yeah, they would charge you the $4 fee, as well as take the money out of your account to pay for the bad check, even if it were to overdraw you.

That is the scam. They write you a check for lets's say... $1000 (and they're probably going to tell you to send them $500 back). You go to your bank and cash it. The check comes back bad. You now owe the bank $1004 and you've already sent scammer $500 as well.

[Overread]

I think you have got something misunderstood there - why would the bank take money out of your account to pay your own account with if someone gives you a bad cheque?
You person listed on a cheque as the payee is the one who will recieve the money from the cheque, not the bank itself - they simply process the transfer of money from one account to the other (hence the processing fee) and if the account to have money transfered out of it has insufficient funds to honour the amount on the cheque in full the process is stopped and the money transfer does not take place (the cheque "bounces")

[nsupanda]

I think you have got something misunderstood there - why would the bank take money out of your account to pay your own account with if someone gives you a bad cheque?
You person listed on a cheque as the payee is the one who will recieve the money from the cheque, not the bank itself - they simply process the transfer of money from one account to the other (hence the processing fee) and if the account to have money transfered out of it has insufficient funds to honour the amount on the cheque in full the process is stopped and the money transfer does not take place (the cheque "bounces")

Girl takes check to HER bank to cash it. Her bank gives her $1000 cash (nothing is taken out of her bank account). Check comes back a few days later to the bank as BAD. Bank then charges girl $4 fee. To recover the $1000 in cash that the bank gave the girl, the bank will then take $1000 out of girl's account. Simple as that. I've been a banker for years and have seen this happen to several people.

[nsupanda]

...and if the account to have money transfered out of it has insufficient funds to honour the amount on the cheque in full the process is stopped and the money transfer does not take place (the cheque "bounces")

It just doesn't work that way yet. The bank will cash the check for the girl and send the check off for collection. This whole process takes a day or two. In the meantime, the scam has been said and done. Hopefully the girl hasn't already paid the scammer the $500 so that she will be able to give the bank back their $1000.

[Overread]

Hmm this must be a difference in how the UK and the US process cheques - UK side we don't get any money at all until the cheque has cleared (can take up to 3 working days to clear).
As I recall it is also possible that the amount might show in ones account before processing is completed but one would not be able to withdraw the full amount in the bank account (that is all monies present before the cheque and including it) untill after processing is fully completed.

It seems like a rather odd idea to hand the money over before the validity of the cheque is checked by the bank itself

[digital flower]

I think you have got something misunderstood there - why would the bank take money out of your account to pay your own account with if someone gives you a bad cheque?
You person listed on a cheque as the payee is the one who will recieve the money from the cheque, not the bank itself - they simply process the transfer of money from one account to the other (hence the processing fee) and if the account to have money transfered out of it has insufficient funds to honour the amount on the cheque in full the process is stopped and the money transfer does not take place (the cheque "bounces")

I am not sure if I am understanding what you are saying here but the bank actually holds the same amount of the check from the funds in your account. You are really "cashing" the check against your own funds and if it is returned not paid you forfeit your own money.

This process is different from going to the same bank the check is drawn on and having it directly removed from their account or leaving the funds in your account until the check has cleared. In that case it would simply be removed from your balance and you would be charged the small fee.

The check scammers seem to have a way that the checks take a long time to clear and they take off with your money before the check bounces.

[nsupanda]

Hmm this must be a difference in how the UK and the US process cheques - UK side we don't get any money at all until the cheque has cleared (can take up to 3 working days to clear).
As I recall it is also possible that the amount might show in ones account before processing is completed but one would not be able to withdraw the full amount in the bank account (that is all monies present before the cheque and including it) untill after processing is fully completed.

It seems like a rather odd idea to hand the money over before the validity of the cheque is checked by the bank itself

The way we do it at my bank is: we verify that the customer has enough money in their account to cover the funds of the check. If that customer has enough to cover it, we cash it (we have to get supervisor's approval on checks over $5000). If the person DEPOSITS the check, nothing is said unless the check is over $10,000. Then a report has to be made and the person will have access to $100 that day and then they will have to wait a few days (so that the check has time to clear) to withdraw the money.

These scammers, however, are writing the checks in low amounts to avoid upper-managment banking officials to get involved.