Model
Kandi Rae
Posts: 3
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Anybody know anything about zaza fabrics? Something isn't right about their company! They sent me almost 3k in money orders and strange instructions and I never accepted any work from them! Not sure what to do! Any suggestions?
Photographer
American Glamour
Posts: 38813
Detroit, Michigan, US
What kind of strange instructions?
Photographer
studio36uk
Posts: 22898
Tavai, Sigave, Wallis and Futuna
ZAZA HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE... a number of times.
Come to London [or Nigeria] and we'll pay you BIG BUCKS to be in our fashion show... ect.
SCAM, SCAM, SCAM
Studio36
Photographer
J Schumacher
Posts: 1220
Gustine, California, US
Is it the scam where you deposit the checks, send them some cash back, and then discover the checks/money orders were no good?
Photographer
American Glamour
Posts: 38813
Detroit, Michigan, US
J Schumacher wrote:
Is it the scam where you deposit the checks, send them some cash back, and then discover the checks/money orders were no good? I have presumed that since she made her post, but she hasn't said that. I wanted to see if that was really what they asked or if there was something new and unique!
Photographer
SayCheeZ!
Posts: 20642
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Photographer
UnoMundo
Posts: 47532
Olympia, Washington, US
I put a lawn mower for sale on CL. I got contacted by a Nigerian scam artist.
go figure !
Model
Kandi Rae
Posts: 3
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Hey guys sorry I didn't get back to you sooner... The money orders are real I had a friend check it out at her bank. They are telling me to keep $500 now (and the rest will be be paid later) and Western Union $2450 to someone in England so that they can get my flight and hotel. The job was supposed to be in New York at the beggining of August but I didn't recieve them till the middle of August. The strange part to me is that I never accepted the job! I cant get a hold of them now and there is a link to a website but it doesn't really exsist.
Model
Seth Mitchell
Posts: 1457
Long Beach, California, US
UnoMundo Photography wrote:
I put a lawn mower for sale on CL. I got contacted by a Nigerian scam artist.
go figure ! Hey, it's tough to find a good lawn mower in Nigeria. LOL
Photographer
Rick Athearn
Posts: 492
Boulder, Colorado, US
Kandi Rae wrote:
Hey guys sorry I didn't get back to you sooner... The money orders are real I had a friend check it out at her bank. They are telling me to keep $500 now (and the rest will be be paid later) and Western Union $2450 to someone in England so that they can get my flight and hotel. The job was supposed to be in New York at the beggining of August but I didn't recieve them till the middle of August. The strange part to me is that I never accepted the job! I cant get a hold of them now and there is a link to a website but it doesn't really exsist. DON'T DO IT!!! Its the old Nigerian scam.
Model
Seth Mitchell
Posts: 1457
Long Beach, California, US
Kandi Rae wrote:
Hey guys sorry I didn't get back to you sooner... The money orders are real I had a friend check it out at her bank. They are telling me to keep $500 now (and the rest will be be paid later) and Western Union $2450 to someone in England so that they can get my flight and hotel. The job was supposed to be in New York at the beggining of August but I didn't recieve them till the middle of August. The strange part to me is that I never accepted the job! I cant get a hold of them now and there is a link to a website but it doesn't really exsist. If it looks too good to be true IT IS. People don't send money for unconfirmed jobs.
I wouldn't walk away from that one...I would run.
Model
Mayanlee
Posts: 3560
New City, New York, US
Kandi Rae wrote:
Hey guys sorry I didn't get back to you sooner... The money orders are real I had a friend check it out at her bank. They are telling me to keep $500 now (and the rest will be be paid later) and Western Union $2450 to someone in England so that they can get my flight and hotel. The job was supposed to be in New York at the beggining of August but I didn't recieve them till the middle of August. The strange part to me is that I never accepted the job! I cant get a hold of them now and there is a link to a website but it doesn't really exsist. This is a form of the Nigerian 419 fraud (plenty of info if you Google "419") and international money-laundering. If you keep the money, you could be liable under the federal statutes (although the FBI recognizes that you are the "victim"). I would suggest contacting your local branch of the FBI and submit all that stuff as evidence, along with the emails.
Model
Seth Mitchell
Posts: 1457
Long Beach, California, US
Sorry Kandi, it sucks to get excited about something and then find out it is a scam.
While this one may have a new twist on it, it's the same game.
Not to worry, there is plenty of good, legit work out there for you.
Photographer
Tim Baker-fotoPerfecta
Posts: 9877
Portland, Oregon, US
Kandi Rae wrote:
Hey guys sorry I didn't get back to you sooner... The money orders are real I had a friend check it out at her bank. They are telling me to keep $500 now (and the rest will be be paid later) and Western Union $2450 to someone in England so that they can get my flight and hotel. The job was supposed to be in New York at the beggining of August but I didn't recieve them till the middle of August. The strange part to me is that I never accepted the job! I cant get a hold of them now and there is a link to a website but it doesn't really exsist. SCAM! SCAM! SCAM!
Don't send them any money. The check might look good at the local bank, but when it fails to clear at the Federal Reserve it gets returned to you!
DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY TO ANYONE. This a variation of the old Nigerian Scam that others have talked about.
Deposit their check if you wish, but don't send any money to them. There is a very, very high chance (probably 100 percent) that money order you have will bounce at the Fed, regardless of what the local bank says.
Remember, if this was legit, they would not be sending out money orders, they would issue company checks with their logos on them. Agencies don't buy money orders with which to reimburse their clients. They use their own checks!
This is a true scam.
The advice about sending the info to the FBI is good; however, they are overloaded with terrorists issues and probably won't spend any time on another Nigerian scam.
Model
Mayanlee
Posts: 3560
New City, New York, US
Even if not from Nigeria, it's the same old thing:
Nigerian Letter or "419" Fraud
Nigerian letter frauds combine the threat of impersonation fraud with a variation of an advance fee scheme in which a letter, mailed from Nigeria, offers the recipient the "opportunity" to share in a percentage of millions of dollars that the author, a self-proclaimed government official, is trying to transfer illegally out of Nigeria. The recipient is encouraged to send information to the author, such as blank letterhead stationery, bank name and account numbers and other identifying information using a facsimile number provided in the letter. Some of these letters have also been received via E-mail through the Internet. The scheme relies on convincing a willing victim, who has demonstrated a "propensity for larceny" by responding to the invitation, to send money to the author of the letter in Nigeria in several installments of increasing amounts for a variety of reasons.
Payment of taxes, bribes to government officials, and legal fees are often described in great detail with the promise that all expenses will be reimbursed as soon as the funds are spirited out of Nigeria. In actuality, the millions of dollars do not exist and the victim eventually ends up with nothing but loss. Once the victim stops sending money, the perpetrators have been known to use the personal information and checks that they received to impersonate the victim, draining bank accounts and credit card balances until the victim's assets are taken in their entirety. While such an invitation impresses most law-abiding citizens as a laughable hoax, millions of dollars in losses are caused by these schemes annually. Some victims have been lured to Nigeria, where they have been imprisoned against their will, in addition to losing large sums of money. The Nigerian government is not sympathetic to victims of these schemes, since the victim actually conspires to remove funds from Nigeria in a manner that is contrary to Nigerian law. The schemes themselves violate section 419 of the Nigerian criminal code, hence the label "419 fraud."
Some Tips to Avoid Nigerian Letter or "419" Fraud:
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If you receive a letter from Nigeria asking you to send personal or banking information, do not reply in any manner. Send the letter to the U.S. Secret Service or the FBI.
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If you know someone who is corresponding in one of these schemes, encourage that person to contact the FBI or the U.S. Secret Service as soon as possible.
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Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as Nigerian or foreign government officials asking for your help in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts.
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Do not believe the promise of large sums of money for your cooperation.
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Guard your account information carefully.
Model
Seth Mitchell
Posts: 1457
Long Beach, California, US
UnoMundo Photography wrote:
I put a lawn mower for sale on CL. I got contacted by a Nigerian scam artist.
go figure ! So...Uh, Peter. How much you want for the mower? It is a U-drive it kind? LOL.
Photographer
SayCheeZ!
Posts: 20642
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Kandi Rae wrote:
Hey guys sorry I didn't get back to you sooner... The money orders are real I had a friend check it out at her bank. They are telling me to keep $500 now (and the rest will be be paid later) and Western Union $2450 to someone in England so that they can get my flight and hotel. I hate to sound rude... but did you read ANYTHING in the links I provided, or did you read ANY of the comments from people on here?
I hope that you're just reporting the process of the incident to us (as Alan requested) and not falling for the scam by letting greed and naivety get the best of you.
Wikipedia wrote:
Auction overpayment, fake check
In another updated scam, the scammer offers to buy some expensive item (e.g., jewelry or a car, that the prospective victim advertised on eBay, for example, or a legitimate classified-ads website such as craigslist) by official, certified, bank or cashier's check. The check will have an "accidentally" or mutually agreed higher value than the price of the item, so the scammer asks the victim to wire the extra money to some third party as soon as the check clears. The check typically clears after one or two days, but the fact that it is counterfeit is not detected until several days or weeks later, by which time the victim has sent the item and the "additional money" to the scammer and his representative. Most banks will hold the victim accountable for the value of the counterfeit check.
A variation on the eBay scam involves sending a request for payment for an item that the alleged seller does not own but claims to have sent. Since actual eBay item numbers are used this has been a nuisance for legitimate sellers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_fe … fake_check
To put it short, the money order appears legitimate, but it's a guarantee that about 6 weeks after cashing it, your bank will return it to you, and the funds will be removed from your account because it isn't a real check, and some checks do take several weeks to be fully processed.
The reason they give you the check is exactly why you're apparantly falling for it... because the check appears to be real and legitimate, you won't find out that it's not until a few weeks from now!!!
They want you to return money via Western Union or Moneygram because it's not refundable, and non-traceable!
Also, please NEVER CALL the international phone number that the scammer may provide. Often the phone number is routed through a little offshore location, where you'll be billed for $25 per minute or more! The profits are then split between the offshore phone company and the scammer. If they can't rob you out of a $2,000 money order, they'll settle for the few hundred dollars that the phone call just cost you.
Model
Kandi Rae
Posts: 3
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Alright Say Cheese,
Yes I did read everyones comments and I want to say thank you to everyone! I was just answering a question about what they asked me to do with the money. It was obvious to me from the begining that something was wrong thats why I brought it up. I figured someone would know about it and be able to explain it to me so I can warn people and also now others are hearing about it as well. Isn't that part of the reason we come on here to help each other? Thank you to everyone that responded!
Photographer
SayCheeZ!
Posts: 20642
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Whew!
I'm glad, and was somewhat concerned because it was difficult to distinguish whether you were simply responding to Alan's question, or if you were actually falling for it yourself. Sometimes the way forums are read it's hard to tell the difference (as in this case).
Sadly, believe it or not, I have seen similar instances where an obvious scam was taking place, and despite warnings from MANY other people (and verifiable proof to back it up), the person fell for it anyways... and it's not limited to the modeling / photography field either.
Thanks for letting us know the outcome.
Photographer
SLE Photography
Posts: 68937
Orlando, Florida, US
SayCheeZ! wrote:
Whew!
I'm glad, and was somewhat concerned because it was difficult to distinguish whether you were simply responding to Alan's question, or if you were actually falling for it yourself. Sometimes the way forums are read it's hard to tell the difference (as in this case).
Sadly, believe it or not, I have seen similar instances where an obvious scam was taking place, and despite warnings from MANY other people (and verifiable proof to back it up), the person fell for it anyways... and it's not limited to the modeling / photography field either.
Thanks for letting us know the outcome. Oh yeah
I read an article about this recently where some guy who'd been taken MORE THAN ONCE by these scammers & whould would NOT listen to his friends & family ultimately went to Africa with pretty much all his remaining funds in CASH
His idea was if he got there & found they weren't legit he would confront them & attempt to retrieve his many thousdands of dollars in loses
He got there & was of course robbed of not only his $ but also his passport & posessions & the local cops did nothing
He had to go to the US consulate & get help just to get back home
This's out of an article in Reader's Digest from a few months ago about how people's lives are ruined by scams like this
Model
Mayanlee
Posts: 3560
New City, New York, US
SLE Photography wrote:
Oh yeah
I read an article about this recently where some guy who'd been taken MORE THAN ONCE by these scammers & whould would NOT listen to his friends & family ultimately went to Africa with pretty much all his remaining funds in CASH
His idea was if he got there & found they weren't legit he would confront them & attempt to retrieve his many thousdands of dollars in loses
He got there & was of course robbed of not only his $ but also his passport & posessions & the local cops did nothing
He had to go to the US consulate & get help just to get back home
This's out of an article in Reader's Digest from a few months ago about how people's lives are ruined by scams like this * Adds another page to her Bad Things Happen To Stupid People file... *
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