by fauch69
Thu Apr 12, 2012 8:12 pm
After posting on Craigslist seeking an investor for a proposed new business, I recieved numerous responses, some of them obviously scams. (actually almost all responses).
I went back and forth by email with one potential investor named Michael Day. He seemed legitimate, asking for business plan and asking what seemed to me to be the right questions. He stated to me that the capital I was seeking is far below the minimum he usually loans. After a few days, he stated that he would donate the money to me, as he believed me to be an honest person, and I deserve a start. After I opened a bank account at a bank of my choice, he had his financial manager contact me and had me fill out an application. At this point I was wary because of someone offering me the money as a gift but I became even more wary when the application only had the company name and logo on it. No address or phone number. Because I really wanted it to work I filled out the application and sent it back. The manager then asked me for a fee of over $3600. I then contacted the origional guy and asked him what that was for. He explained it was a processing fee because the money was a gift. He explained this using the exact same wording as the "manager". I was also told the fee could not be deducted out of the transfer because it was not policy. I told him I was not going to pay money out of my pocket and that is that.
One week has passed and he contacted me to ask if I still had the account I set up for the wire transfer.(I set up a basic savings account with the bare minimum for a deposit. Only $25) I told him that I did and he asked me if I would be willing to accept and wire out money for other investments, and he would give me the money we origionally agreed upon as a gift. When I mentioned to him I did not want to be responsible for the taxes, he stated he would keep deposits to under $10k. He also wants online access to account.
My question is, what risk am I facing if I do this? Has anyone heard of this before? I don't understand how he could scam me, but this sounds too good to be true.
I went back and forth by email with one potential investor named Michael Day. He seemed legitimate, asking for business plan and asking what seemed to me to be the right questions. He stated to me that the capital I was seeking is far below the minimum he usually loans. After a few days, he stated that he would donate the money to me, as he believed me to be an honest person, and I deserve a start. After I opened a bank account at a bank of my choice, he had his financial manager contact me and had me fill out an application. At this point I was wary because of someone offering me the money as a gift but I became even more wary when the application only had the company name and logo on it. No address or phone number. Because I really wanted it to work I filled out the application and sent it back. The manager then asked me for a fee of over $3600. I then contacted the origional guy and asked him what that was for. He explained it was a processing fee because the money was a gift. He explained this using the exact same wording as the "manager". I was also told the fee could not be deducted out of the transfer because it was not policy. I told him I was not going to pay money out of my pocket and that is that.
One week has passed and he contacted me to ask if I still had the account I set up for the wire transfer.(I set up a basic savings account with the bare minimum for a deposit. Only $25) I told him that I did and he asked me if I would be willing to accept and wire out money for other investments, and he would give me the money we origionally agreed upon as a gift. When I mentioned to him I did not want to be responsible for the taxes, he stated he would keep deposits to under $10k. He also wants online access to account.
My question is, what risk am I facing if I do this? Has anyone heard of this before? I don't understand how he could scam me, but this sounds too good to be true.
