Pep Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 A while back i bought an Eduard SU-17 on ebay althought i cant remember exactly who it was from, today i recived this email: Hello , This is Max Zostautas. Do you remember our transaction Eduard 1/48 Su-22M4/Su-17M4 Fitter I need someone to help me, because I'm going on road trip in Europe with my family. I thought of our mutual exchange on e-bay and found your e-mail in my inbox, so I thought to ask you for some help. Let me know if you want to get involved and help me out and earn dollars for it. I will give you more info after I hear from you. Best Regards, Max Zostautas Vision Models 1504 Pinehurst Dr Darien, IL 60561 United States Reply: Hey max I remember, what can I do for you? Felipe Reyes Reply: Hello, I'm leaving on 21st of June, and I will return on 24th of July. If this should not conflict with your timetable, this is what the task involves: By my own business and full time job, I also work part time with Higgins Consulting and as other European merchants that want to speed up the orders and improve the quality of service,they have a customer manager for every region of the world. Basically, here is what I have to do for each client: First I am alerted when they (Higgins) need to receive a payment from their client from my region (USA), (all clients pay by bank draft, also called wire transfer, to my account) After the client has completed the deposit to my account, I have to check my account to see the deposit and confirm it together with the amount. Then, after the deposit has cleared, I keep the 5% (my percentage) and I send the amount due (total amount minus 5%) by Money Orders or WU. Of course, you will keep the entire percentage for the period that I will be away that’s 1.000$ monthly plus depending on the firm sales, should be about $700 per week,If you think you can do it, I can ask Rodney Waters - the Managing Director,to send you full info. Please let me know at your earliest convenience,I want to straighten out this before I leave,and please email me your phone number so Rodney can contact you. Thank you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pep Posted June 15, 2011 Author Share Posted June 15, 2011 (edited) I think i recall mention of Max and Vison models around the forums before, but this just seams weird. to many parallels with other internet scams Edited June 15, 2011 by Pep Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IrishGreek Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 This seems strange to me too. Maybe Max has fallen victim to a scam too? Thinks this is how this new 'business' works? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iron Man Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I think i recall mention of Max and Vison models around the forums before, but this just seams weird. to many parallels with other internet scams Don't do it. As a former police officer you will laundering money for them. It is indeed a scam. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ro-Gar Hobbies Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 hmmm, doesn't look right to me, I would say its a scam as well. Robert Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CorsairMan Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I was thinking the old advance fee fraud but this is different. TI would steer clear of it. It also has to be the stupidest way to launder money that I can think of. Geez, don't people run restaurants or bars anymore? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
huntermountain Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Think about it: He asks you instead of one of his friends/relatives/neighbors... What firm would give away 5% of it's income for the service this guy provides? If you continue the conversation, I'm sure you'll be asked for the details of your bank account, or they will ask you for some sort of payment as a bond, until the transactions have gone smoothly. In short, I wouldn't take him up on the offer. Chances are you'll loose some money. I don't know if it's the guy you dealt with, or if the scammers somehow got hold of the details of your transaction, but I must admit it's sort of a good way to try and gain your trust. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
galileo1 Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Think about it: He asks you instead of one of his friends/relatives/neighbors... What firm would give away 5% of it's income for the service this guy provides? If you continue the conversation, I'm sure you'll be asked for the details of your bank account, or they will ask you for some sort of payment as a bond, until the transactions have gone smoothly. In short, I wouldn't take him up on the offer. Chances are you'll loose some money. I don't know if it's the guy you dealt with, or if the scammers somehow got hold of the details of your transaction, but I must admit it's sort of a good way to try and gain your trust. Excellent points! And I agree, looks like a scam. Why would clients of this Higgins firm wire money to this dude's account directly as opposed to, via any number of online/electronic means, pay the firm directly? Why would this Higgins firm trust this Max guy to only keep 5% of the payments? If anything, it should be the company (Higgins) that should be giving this guy 5% after they receive payment and not the other way around... I'd say you email him back and say 'No thanks' and call it a day... Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vince14 Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 It sounds like someone has hacked into his Ebay account, and is contacting his previous buyers as part of a scam. I'd report it to Ebay. Vince Quote Link to post Share on other sites
richter111 Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I once paid for a model I bought on ebay with a personal check. The next month, my statement showed several suspicious online purchases. The thief used my account number to purchase service and goods online. I have not purchased online with anything other than paypal or a credit card since. I would not be surprised if the ebay account is hacked/compromised Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blunce Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Run away, after reporting this to Ebay of course. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pep Posted June 15, 2011 Author Share Posted June 15, 2011 yeah i pretty much figured it was a scam, but i was worried since from my understanding this guy was a member of the modeling community. I think the ebay hack is most likely explanation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blunce Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 yeah i pretty much figured it was a scam, but i was worried since from my understanding this guy was a member of the modeling community. I think the ebay hack is most likely explanation. Our local (non-ipms) club recently got an email "from" one of our member stating that he and his family were in Europe, getting ready to come home when they were mugged and lost everything, and if anyone could help out to get them home, it would be much appreciated. Looked completely legit, that is until said member sent an email stating he had canceled his trip to Europe and there was no such mugging. His email acct had been hacked and the crooks were using this story to get $$. Crazy! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IrishGreek Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Our local (non-ipms) club recently got an email "from" one of our member stating that he and his family were in Europe, getting ready to come home when they were mugged and lost everything, and if anyone could help out to get them home, it would be much appreciated. Looked completely legit, that is until said member sent an email stating he had canceled his trip to Europe and there was no such mugging. His email acct had been hacked and the crooks were using this story to get $$. Crazy! This same scam happened to a lady in our town who my wife knows. The funny thing is that this request for money made everyone laugh, because they are like the richest people in town. Even if they got mugged, they would have plenty of access to funds, so the people that got the emails knew it was fake. Then shortly after everyone got the message from this lady that they were hacked. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edgar Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 There was a report, only a few weeks ago, that, because everyone is now alerted to the "Nigerian connection," the thieves are hacking into address books, and sending seemingly legitimate requests for help, from someone you would consider to be a friend. As you seem to have his home address, write to him, via snail-mail, and tell him what's going on. This has to be a fraud, and a fairly transparent one, at that, with the "unearned income" carrot dangling in front of you; as always, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Edgar Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dndieje Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Pure scam. Keep talking to them though and post the mails here: http://www.419eater.com/index.php Good laughs to be had for all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pep Posted June 15, 2011 Author Share Posted June 15, 2011 Reply hey max, sorry long day. it sure sounds like something I would be interested in. let me know what the next step is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yardbird78 Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Another possibility is that some scam artist sold a few models on ebay just to get names and addresses as possible suckers in this obvious scam. The old "Nigerian Scam" isn't working anymore for most people, so they have to come up with a new "wrinkle" to keep finding more suckers. Darwin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spruemeister Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I got the exact same email. I don't remember the transaction, and he didn't state what was bought. I deleted it immediately because of the alarm bells blaring in my head. Not happening, Max. Rick L. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hacker Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 There was a report, only a few weeks ago, that, because everyone is now alerted to the "Nigerian connection," the thieves are hacking into address books, and sending seemingly legitimate requests for help, from someone you would consider to be a friend. As you seem to have his home address, write to him, via snail-mail, and tell him what's going on. This has to be a fraud, and a fairly transparent one, at that, with the "unearned income" carrot dangling in front of you; as always, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Edgar Another possibility is that some scam artist sold a few models on ebay just to get names and addresses as possible suckers in this obvious scam. The old "Nigerian Scam" isn't working anymore for most people, so they have to come up with a new "wrinkle" to keep finding more suckers. Darwin I had this happen awhile ago. Now I do not travel much as a rule though I did go to the Philippines to see my wife before she came here to stay but one day I was at the shop working with my buddy when he got an email. He looked at me as said well I guess I could lend you the 1500 to get back home from Scotland. Seemed my email was hacked and someone emailed him saying I was stranded in Scotland. Kinda hard to be in two places at once don't you think. So it is possible the seller had his email hacked and someone is using it to scam money from you Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cheeley Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 (edited) It's a scam. The use of wire transfer means that it's probably a scam for laundering stolen funds, rather than a check cashing scam. The next step is that he'll ask you to use your own account, and that you'll need to wire the funds out using Western Union. You may even make the 5% commission, but it's hard to spend once the FBI put you in jail. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_mule http://www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/scams/scam-types/money-mule-money-laundering http://www.hotscams.com/articles/warning-fake-check-or-money-mule-scam.html http://www.banksafeonline.org.uk/moneymule_explained.html http://www.lloydstsb.com/security/money_mules.asp EDIT TO ADD: If you do a web search for the phrases used, you get results like these: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110419074436AATPITx Edited June 16, 2011 by cheeley Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ikar Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Last month my Father died. About a week or so later my wife got a E-Mail from someone stating that they were a distant cousin in England. If I remember correctly they stated that they had just come into a rather large inheritance and lately he had been researching his ancestry and discovered that her family had left England very early in the colonial period. If I have this right he was trying to connect the various branches of the family tree and found the obit on my Father. Even though my wife's side of the family was a distant relation he felt obliged to help by giving us some of his inheritance. I'll just leave it there because I can't remember the rest but you can imagine it. He did do some research though because even though my wife's family did not come over on the Mayflower, they did arrive on the second trip over. My side of the family came from Austria and Germany much later. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 (edited) Don't do it. As a former police officer you will laundering money for them. It is indeed a scam. I Concur...DON'T DO IT !! STAY AWAY... !!! IGNORE ALL E- MAILS...!! DO not reply to his e- mails or calls.... Once you start answering etc you are THEN EMBROILED...{ YOU have already answered him so watch your step from now on...} Change E-mails address , telephone numbers etc if possible ,AND DON'T get roped in ...TOTAL SCAM... HOLMES Edit: and if the FBI are already investigating money laundering etc then you need to wrench yourself away from any kind of contact with this scammer. Edited June 16, 2011 by HOLMES Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ensafrirpo Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Agree with posts #16 & 17. Follow it through to a point so the full strategy can be unveiled and we can have a good :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hawkeye's Hobbies Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Not only report it to eBay but also your local, state and the Feds...this is wire and postal fraud. I'd even print it up and hand it over to your local Postal Inspectors. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.