Shopping Scam

Yes a Shopping Scam rather than a Mystery Shopping Scam.

First mail from the scammer reads something like this:-

From: trace ballesteros <[email protected]>
To: trace ballesteros <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 1, 2009 9:56:15 AM

Subject: Are you looking for a part time job

Are you looking for a part time job? I am looking for someone who can handle my personal and business errands at his/her spare time. Someone who can offer me these services:Mail services: Receive my mails and drop them off at Fed ex(nothing illegal).Shop for GiftsSit for delivery( at your home) or pick items up at nearby post office at your convenience.

Let me know if you will be able to offer me any of these services.

After you reply that you are interested you will receive something like this:-

From: Earl James <[email protected]>
To: [email protected].
Sent: Wednesday, July 1, 2009 10:33:35 AM
Subject: Re: Are you looking for a part time job

Where are you located? I would love to meet up with you to talk about this job but I am currently away on business. I am in Australia so there will be no interview. I will prepay you in advance to do my shopping. I will also have my mails and packages forwarded to your address.. If you will be unable to stay at your house to get my mails, I can have it shipped to a post office near you and then you can pick it up at your convenience. When you get my mails/packages; you are required to mail them to where I want them mailed to. You don't have to put money out of your pocket, all you have to do is have packages shipped to your house and do my shopping. You are allowed to open the packages to reveal its content. The content of the packages are computer and electronics, clothings business and personal letters. All expenses and taxes will be covered by me. You will work between 15 and 20hrs a month. How much will you charge per month? I will pay $500. That is not a bad offer is it? I need your service because I am constantly out of town. I work in real estate and I own an Art Gallery in Australia. I will return to America in March so this process will be on going till then. If you don't mind, I will meet up with you when I return and then we can talk about the possibility of making this long term. Well, let me know if you are able to handle the position.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Earl.

... and then after showing further interest:-

From: Earl James <[email protected]>
To: [email protected].
Sent: Thursday, July 2, 2009 9:43:16 AM
Subject: Re: Are you looking for a part time job

I will email you the list and pictures of what to shop for when I am ready. No heavy packages is involved! You can do the shopping at Sears, Walmart, and other stores. You will be shopping for Electronics and clothings. I will provide you my UPS account number for Shipping. All you have to do is provide my account number to UPS and shipping charges will be applied into the account. I will provide clear set of instructions for each task I need done as well the funds to cover them. If I were to mail you money to do my shopping plus upfront payment for your service, where would you want it mailed to? How should your name appear on the money?
Earl.

What will happen from here is that you will receive a fake cheque or money order, and a shopping list of high value goods to send on to the scammer or one of his accomplices. Sometime after you have cashed the cheque your bank will discover that it is bad and pursue you for the return of the full amount and press charges against you for fraud.

[AlanJones]

Additionally, the UPS account will be stolen. So when you ship the goods by UPS and it is noticed by the real account holder, you will have some explaining to do about that as well.

It seems that before you get your fake cheque you get a shopping list of things to price up and send back to him:-

from Earl James <[email protected]>

to xxxxxxxxxxxx
date 9 July 2009 15:15
subject Item Needed
Signed by gmail.com


Hello ,
How are you doing today? I hope you are fine... The Temp. Position is ready for you presently and payment will get to you soon for the Items needed also the payment will be posted to you very soon, i will update you once is being mail out to the name and address you gave me. You need to locate the nearest Shopping Mall Center in your location for you to able to do my shopping once you receive my money soon.
As for now, this are the items needed for shopping this month and you need to locate nearest Shopping Mall around your location to find the cost price for each Electronic items listed below:

1. Home theater system, AV receiver, Speaker system(1000watts)

2. PlayStation 3 by Sony(80GB)

3. Sony Camcorder model TRV65

Kindly check out the cost price for each Items listed above in the nearest Electronic store around your location. And get back to me with the cost price as soon as possible. I Waite your immediate reply to this items needed to be purchase soon and i will try to call you on later k.
Regards,
Earl

Well this guy is up to his old tricks again. I received an email from [email protected] asking for me to be his personal shopper/assistant. So lets see where it takes us.

His first email was this...

Are you looking for a part time job? I am looking for someone who can handle my personal and business errands at his/her spare time. Someone who can offer me these services:Mail services: Receive my mails and drop them off at Fed ex(nothing illegal).Shop for GiftsSit for delivery( at your home) or pick items up at nearby post office at your convenience.

Let me know if you will be able to offer me any of these services.

Then his next email was this...

Where are you located? I would love to meet up with you to talk about this job but I am currently away on business. I am in Australia so there will be no interview. I will prepay you in advance to do my shopping. I will also have my mails and packages forwarded to your address. If you will be unable to stay at your house to get my mails, I can have it shipped to a post office near you and then you can pick it up at your convenience. When you get my mails/packages; you are required to mail them to where I want them mailed to. You don't have to put money out of your pocket, all you have to do is have packages shipped to your house and do my shopping. You are allowed to open the packages to reveal its content. The content of the packages are computer and electronics, clothings business and personal letters. All expenses and taxes will be covered by me. You will work between 15 and 20hrs a month. How much will you charge per month? I will pay $500. That is not a bad offer is it? I need your service because I am constantly out of town. I work in real estate and I own an Art Gallery in Australia. I will return to America in March so this process will be on going till then. If you don't mind, I will meet up with you when I return and then we can talk about the possibility of making this long term. Well, let me know if you are able to handle the position.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Trace.