I opened up my one reply to an ad I'd posted online in Texas. As a book publishing company, free ads online always make sense. But with a sinking gut, I once again found the same old scam sitting right in front of me and that's why this article is called 'the new bane to small business--the hustle'. How could it not be?
Let me take you back in time. Go back six months. I was minding my own business when I first received an email back asking for my product. The instructions in it were unreasonable. I was to be sent a sum of money to cover shipping of my product up front but they would pick up the products (these were undefined) at my location and take care of all that. The overage...as in the difference between what they paid and what my products were worth would be refunded to them via Western Union. Dismissing it as a poorly written email that probably didn't have much reality in truth, I just put it away and after a week or two I deleted it.
Three months later, I received a money order to my business in the sum of three thousand dollars. Sounds good? I wanted to know if it was real so I took it to my bank account and asked that very same question to the bank teller. I told her if it was I wanted all the money today. She brought over the manager who asked if I had a relationship with this person. I said 'no'. He said that what happens is businesses are sent fraudulent money orders, probably printed in the basement and that person goes to a bank to cash it. Later, the money order is proven fraudulent. In the meantime, the business has refunded money to the people.
When I later explained this scam to family and friends and other business associates, they said, 'well then they don't make much money'. But I pointed out that if their amount of money made exceeded the thirty cents to print an official money order, then they've made their money. They make it back when you Western Union the money back to them.
When I was contacted by email, I emailed back the person (who again had poor English skills) that I had turned over the money order to the police and that our police work dilligently with Interpol. Never heard from him again nor the bogus company.
I have since been sent this type of email and since they are sent over and over again, asking for whatever product to be sent and of course the whole wire back the overage amount idea again. In one case, I was in a match with a woman who for all intensive purposes was Chinese due to the downshift on some of the words. When I pointed out to her that she was perpetrating a scam, she said, "how dare I and all that". And then, she went away.
So the next time I received one of these from Malawi. I told the person by email that our company wouldn't allow anyone to arrange their own shipping. Standards, you know. And that in fact, unless it was directly purchased online that International customers were out of luck. Never heard from him again.
So then the next one came along and that one I pointed out that Canadian money orders are help for five weeks by banks and that our company once again did not do any international trade without using the convenient internet tools for purchasing through Paypal.
Never heard from that person again.
I guess at some point, I realized that there were just too many of these international scammers, trying to make a buck of businesses so I stopped responding. When I opened the one from a Texas site I had posted a classifieds site on, I had the usual sinking feeling and just deleted it.
These are my suggestions for dealing with these type of emails based on experience:
If you want to reply just to make sure they are not a serious customer, then respond by putting up your own stipulations. Most of these emails have all kinds of stipulations of how the business will be done. Make up your own.
It can be similar to the ones I've come up with.
*We don't allow customers to pay for the shipping of their own products.
*We require all products to be bought online.
*Canadian banks or U.S. banks hold money orders for X amount of days. You can find this out by going to a bank.
*We don't use wire services to refund overages. We require that you pay the right amount.
*Transactions of this nature take two months to ensure that money orders are not fraudulent.
If a person on the email becomes abusive in anyway toward you, don't respond to that email. Possibly forward it onto your local police department. They may forward it onto the National Task Force that is supposed to be cracking down on internet fraud.
It is important not to get into a match with someone because they really aren't worth your time. They are not a legitimate customer so why not block their email from reaching your inbox?
Remember to questions any money orders sent to you for excessive amount of money and always have the bank hold the money order for the amount of days they specify without spending a penny. Just think, a few three thousand dollar money orders that turn out to be fraudulent could really put a damper on your business.
If it seems too good to be true, it more than likely is.
Take care of yourself out there and good luck.
This report is brought to you by Robyn Whyte, CEO of Stargazer Press. Come to our website to see quality novels and educational resources, including the famous Star Gazer's Guided Reading Kit for K-3. http://www.stargazerpress.com
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