Well, it seems that I have some company on this whole Fast Fred Freddie thing. A lot of company.
A good friend of mine advertised his son’s car on Craig’s List, and was contacted by a woman in ‘England’ who wanted to but the car – sight unseen. She wanted to pay by ‘cashier’s check’. Yeah, right. For those of you who don’t know, Freddie and his pals have become quite adept at faking cashiers checks. Of course, the checks are always for more then the asking price, and they want you to wire them the difference. From this point forward, the scheme plays out a lot like Freddie tried to play me.
Another guy I know was contacted by a ’bank manager’ who claimed he had a $10.5 million overage at his bank, and he needed his my account and SS# so that he can share 30% of the money with him.
If this wasn’t so laughable, it would be upsetting.
But, what can we do to stop all of this? Well, for you and me, all we can do is not be stupid enough to fall for these scams. However, there is something that should be done to help capture and deal with these coon artists.
You see, Freddie and his pals almost always use Western Union or Money Gram in their schemes. When you send money using one of these services, all the recipient needs is the receipt number to claim the money. That’s why Freddie claimed he was from England, when he really was somewhere in Africa or maybe Eastern Europe – it really doesn’t matter where you think you wired the money to – Freddie can claim it anywhere in the world where there is a Western Union or MoneyGram office.
So the solution is simple – Western Union and Money Gram should have a fraud department where you can report these scammers. Once a scammer has been identified, they could give you a fake receipt number. Then, when someone shows up at a Western union office with that fake receipt number, instead of getting money, they would be arrested.
Sounds simple enough – so why isn’t anyone doing this?
Probably because it would be bad for business.
When Western Union transfers money to a scammer, they still make money on the transacrion. Only the person being scammed loses money.
So for now, the only to fight the scammers is not to be stupid. For most of us, this shouldn’t be a problem.
***** Found this Interesting, Entertaining or Informative? Please read the complete blog at: ***** http://healthcarehullabalo.blogspot.com/
After having time to digest the whole Fast Buck Freddie incident, I have one burning question left unanswered . Who was Freddie trying to scam?
Yeah, I know he was trying to scam me, but, who did he think I was? Did he actually think that I was capable of falling for his brand of Bull? Does he really think that there are people who lack the modicum of intelligence needed to see through his scam? Do such people actually exist outside of an institution?
I cannot, for the life of me, imagine that there are people alive on this planet who have the minimal skills needed to type an email or post an advertisement who are, nonetheless, stupid enough to fall for Freddie’s scheme. And yet, I know that, since he and his countrymen are actively pursuing these rip off schemes, that there MUST be some people out there who actually fall for this nonsense and lose their hard-earned money. Otherwise, obviously, Freddie would not be pursuing his little enterprise.
I had an acquaintance, Tony, in college. Tony envisioned himself as a young Hugh Heffner, living the Playboy lifestyle.
No matter what the weather, Tony would walk around, inside and outside the dorm, wearing his blue bathrobe. Upon meeting a new young lady, Tony would immediately and unabashedly proposition her in the most graphic terms imaginable.
Tony got his face slapped a lot.
Tony also had a very active sex life.
As he explained it, it was strictly a numbers game. He knew that (by his count) one out of 80 young ladies was going to say yes, and that one yes was worth 79 face slaps.
Yes, Tony was a creep, but he was a happy creep.
I guess that Freddie is, in his own way, a lot like Tony. And Craig’s List (and the Internet) are his blue bathrobe.
STILL, I cannot, for the life of me, picture who Freddie’s target victim is. Until I remembered Mrs. Kerrigan.
Mrs. Kerrigan was my High Scholl Algebra teacher. She taught me how to figure out when certain trains would reach Chicago, as well as lots of other useless things. She also taught me Venn diagrams.
Since my High School days, I have never, ever, found the need to create a Venn diagram – until now.
So here, for the world to see, is my first real-world Venn Diagram:
Wow, I can actually envision who Freddie’s target victims are!
Thank you, Mrs. Kerrigan, wherever you are.
***** Found this Interesting, Entertaining or Informative? Please read the complete blog at: *****
http://healthcarehullabalo.blogspot.com/
What's going on? I ask you
What's going on? Can you see?
What's going on? I ask you and
Who's coming on? Is it you or me?
-----Fast Buck Freddie, Jefferson Starship
Okay, so what was Fred’s scam?
I soon got another fake email from PayPal that made everything crystal clear….
---------------------------------------- FROM: “PayPal”
TO: Me
Dear Rick Albano,
We are very sorry for the delay of your money, Your account show that you received a total amount of $600USD, We want you to know that there is a mistake about the payment sent to you our accounting department made the mistake, We sent you $900USD instead of $600USD, we would like you to refund back the $300USD via Western Union before we can credit your Bank Account. Below is the address where the money will be sent to.We are trying to settle this issue and this is due to the general network and also we are meant to protect both buyer and seller online transaction, please bear with us, Kindly go to WESTERN UNION OFFICE (BANK) and send the money to the buyer given address and as soon as we received the information from you, We will credit your account immediately today because your money is ready to be credited into your account.
Note:You Are To Use The Information Below To Send Out The Money.
DEVRET CLARKE
No 740 Midland Avenue,
Apartment 210, Scarvorough,
ON M1K 4E1,
Canada
Security Question: Ref No?
Security answer: 1990
Send the western Union Control Number And Scan us the receipt given to you.
Kindly go to any Western Union Office,(Bank) and send the money today, and as soon as the money is sent to the buyer, We would credit the total amount of $900USD to your Bank Account immediately today by 3.00 PM.
Thanks for using PayPal and understanding.
PayPal Teams.
----------------------------------------
Wow, what a diabolical scam. And so believable!
After all, my computer transposes “6’s” with “9’s” all of the time (don’t you hate it when that happens?)
Plus, instead of going through the difficulty of correcting the error on their rnd, it just makes sense for me to wire Fred the difference, doesn’t it?
I also thought it magnanimous of PayPal to insist that I use their competitor, Western Union, to correct their mistake!
I decided to see how “PayPal” would explain all of this, so I sent a reply to “PayPal” and cc’ed Fred on it….
----------------------------------------
FROM: Me
TO: “PayPal”
No problem - we all make mistakes. Why don't you just fix your mistake and put the correct amount ($600) into my account? There is no reason to get Western Union involved.
Rick Albano
----------------------------------------
Fred immediately replied….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
what do you mean,
i don't seems to understand you, they also make me know about the
mistake which i they insist on you paying the money so what do you
think is the way out,because i want you to get the money and the only
means is for you paying the money......
Do get back to me Asap....
Thanks....
----------------------------------------
Damn you, Fred. It’s one thing for you to try to steal $300 from me, but your constant butchering of the English language has to stop!
Then it dawned on me – perhaps poor Fred was having trouble understanding me because I used proper English, I decided, right then and there that I would start communicating with him using the same dictum that he used with me….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
what do I mean,
I don't seems why they insist on me paying the money so i can get the money.
Why come they don't just fix it?
Thanks Fred
----------------------------------------
Remarkably, my butchering of the English language really did help me connect with Fred, as evidenced by the email he sent me in reply….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello,
i really understand what you mean,But they are doing this to protect
both the seller and the buyer,i am also worries about it,I don't want
you to loose your money what i can suggest is for you to find a means
of paying the money so that they wont delay your payment,so that they
can credit your account immediately....I know you must be fed up but
am assuring you that as soon as you make the payment you money will be
credited immediately...I still believe you have trust in me ...
do get back to Asap...
Thanks....
----------------------------------------
YES! Fred understands me! Time for me to give him a little reassurance……
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
OK fine I trust you. So here is what you should do. You should contact Paypal and tell them to cancel the 900 pay and then remake a pay of 600 dollars so it is a clean deal. This should be the fast way of clearing this up. If you cannot do this then I will have to send the money order.
Do I send it to you or yours sisters? I should thinks I shoulds sends it to you since you paid me not your sister - it was a gift for her you paid for, right?
lets me know asap
Rick
----------------------------------------
Poor Fred really gave it the old college try with “PayPal”, but apparently they weren’t listening, as he reported in his reply to me….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello,
thanks for the mail,i have also contacted them on what to do,they
can only accept western union or money gram since it is online
transaction,that is the only means we can get the money.
And for the canceling of the money i want you to now that the 900USD
as been deducted from my account and to remind you again, is an online
transaction the only means is to pay the 300USD and your money will be
credited instantly...
I want you to know that it is because of you am still online because
i want to make sure you get your money,i dont want situation whereby
one of us will loose...
My grandmother is sick i have to go and check on her,but first i want
us to solve this out..
Do get back to me as soon as possible...
Thanks...
----------------------------------------
God Bless you, Fred. I don’t want one of us to loose, either. Time to up the ante and let him smell the blood in the water….You know, make him think that he has won….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
OK I wants to solve this too. Who do I send the money to?
I hope your grandmother ceases her sickness with quickness.
Rick
----------------------------------------
Fred started to salivate over that $300.00. It’s probably a years salary in his country…
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
Thanks for the mail,
In that case you can send the money to me, i think that will be
better...this is my detail below::
NAME..FRED WILLSON
ADDRESS:Number 210 Belsize Park
Apartment 23
United KIngdom
And as soon as you send the money let me know..
Thanks for understanding me and also grateful for my grandmothers compliment..
I believes we will get to know each other better...
Do get back to me..
Thanks...
Fred.....
----------------------------------------
I believes, Freddie, that the only place we would get to know each other better is on a witness stand.
Ole Fred must be a famous man in the UK – he doesn’t even need to include his city in his address. Hell, even a letter to Santa needs to be addressed to the North Pole! I am glad he liked his grandmother’s compliment, too.
Important as he must be, it was time for me to turn the table……
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
OK I send the money now.
I do not live near Western Union and I am far away from the closest office. I know you need the money electronically so I thought I would send it to you by PayPal as well.
I used your email
fredwillson5@gmail.com
to send the money to on PayPal. You should hear from them very soon. Please let me know when you get it so I can know when I might receive my payment in return.
Rick
----------------------------------------
Tee, hee, hee – how was Freddie going to handle this little twist, I wondered. I soon found out…..
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello Rick,
I can see that you don't seem to understand or maybe you are
thinking other wise if that is the case,then you can pay to the
address they gave you.I only want asist that is why am doing all this
but it seems you don't want to understand.so you can go ahead and send
the money to the address they gave you,by the method they requested
for if that is the way you want it...
Anything apart from that i don't seems to understand anymore..You
should try and understand.
Am getting tired....
----------------------------------------
Oh, rest assured Freddie – I understand PERFECTLY. That’s the problem. Sorry to hear that “Am getting tired”. Perhaps they’ll cover pronouns in your next ESL class…
Soon Freddie had second thoughts about being so terse with me. He soon sent me this follow up “mail” ….
----------------------------------------
FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Try to understand me...
Am sorry for sounding tough,just try to do something so that we can
at the end laugh to each other.I believe we will still get to know
each other better...I don't have much time to wait
Do get back to Asap...
----------------------------- Poor Freddie – I forgot to butcher English
like he does and he was having trouble understanding me.
So, I sent him this reply (dig MY run on sentence!)
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
I have contacted PayPal and I asked them why I cannot pay the $300 refund to you with PayPal? After all, the payment that you made to me was with PayPal, and PayPal network made the error and paid me the $900, so this would seem to me to be the bestest way to fix this. As I said, I do not access a Moneies Order of Western Union, so I cannot pay you that way, and I want to pay you, so that we can fix this and I can get my monies and you can get your refund and all of this can get behind us and you can tend to your poor sickly grandmother.
I have emailed PayPal and I awaiting there kindest replies. It is up to PayPal now - I am waiting for them and I will mail you when they mail me the response as to how this matter can be absolved.
Rick
------------------------------ Of course, I didn’t REALLY contact PayPal (or “PayPal”, but Freddie didn’t know that. So, within minutes, I got the following “response” from “PayPal”
---------------------------------------- FROM: “PayPal”
TO: Me
Dear Rick Albano,
We are very sorry for the delay of your money, Your account show that you received a total amount of $600USD, We want you to know that there is a mistake about the payment sent to you our accounting department made the mistake, We sent you $900USD instead of $600USD, we would like you to refund back the $300USD via Western Union before we can credit your Bank Account. Below is the address where the money will be sent to.We are trying to settle this issue and this is due to the general network and also we are meant to protect both buyer and seller online transaction, please bear with us, Kindly go to WESTERN UNION OFFICE (BANK) and send the money to the buyer given address and as soon as we received the information from you, We will credit your account immediately today because your money is ready to be credited into your account.
Note:You Are To Use The Information Below To Send Out The Money.
DEVRET CLARKE
No 740 Midland Avenue,
Apartment 210, Scarvorough,
ON M1K 4E1,
Canada
Security Question: Ref No?
Security answer: 1990
Send the western Union Control Number And Scan us the receipt given to you.
Kindly go to any Western Union Office,(Bank) and send the money today, and as soon as the money is sent to the buyer, We would credit the total amount of $900USD to your Bank Account immediately today by 3.00 PM.
Thanks for using PayPal and understanding.
PayPal Teams
----------------------------------------
This whole bad English thing must be contagious – now even “PayPal” is using it! So I wrote back to “PayPal” in my best Nigerian-English….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: “PayPal”
Dearest PayPal:
I wish to pay the $300 monies but I have no acess to the monies of Western Union and I would like to pay the $300 error monies to you using PayPal. My friend has a sickly grandmother who is ill and needs to settle this.
I await your kindliest responses.
Rick
----------------------------------------
I didn’t have to wait too long…..
----------------------------------------
FROM: “PayPal”
TO: Me
Dear Rick Albano,
As we already inform you earlier on that you money is ready,all we are waiting for is to see the western union or money Gram confirmation that you have made the payment of $300USD so that we can credit your account with $900USD instantly.Your buyer has tried alot so as to get your money paid.We are waiting for the confirmation from you.The earlier will be better.
Send the western Union Control Number And Scan us the receipt given to you.
Kindly go to any Western Union Office,(Bank) and send the money today, and as soon as the money is sent to the buyer, We would credit the total amount of $900USD to your Bank Account immediately.
Thanks for using PayPal and understanding.
PayPal Teams.
----------------------------------------
Again with the scanner! I had to set “PayPal” straight……
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: “PayPal”
Dearest PayPal:
Alas, I do not have a scanner, and I do not have a western union or money gram center near me.
You say 'Thank you for using PayPal" but you will not le me pay you using your own service! This is poor business!
Anyway, I need to end this and get my monies. Can I just send a US POST OFFICE MONEY ORDER instead?
Please let me know ASAP as my poor friend Fred Willson is very upset over this matter.
Rick
----------------------------------------
Soon, Freddie chimed in with his own 2 cents on the matter….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
What is going on now,i don't seems to understand you any longer...
----------------------------------------
Nobody seems to understand me! I feel like a teenager!
I decided to keep Freddie in the loop with this email….
----------------------------------------
FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
OK, i understand. I have contacted PayPal. I told them I cannot use Western Union, and I asked if I could use a US POSTAL SERVICE MONEY ORDER. instead. I hope that I can, because this is easier for me to obtain. I hope they say yes and if it pleases them, I can send it out TODAY.
As soon as I hear from PAYPAL, I will mail you.
Rick
----------------------------------------
I never expected THIS Response – Freddie was a resourceful little bugger!
----------------------------------------
FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello rick,
I think i am also get tired of all this hear is the solution which i
think can be best for you..i have tried to locate a western union
outlet near your area,what you need to do is to go there and send the
money as soon as possible..
Am doing this in order to help you am sick and tired, i also explain
to you that my grandmother is sick don't you want to consider that..
After this i will not bring any suggestion again and will be
traveling to stay with my grandmother which i wont have any access to
internet.I believe we can sort thing out now this is the western union
outlet site around you can log on to it and find the one that is very
close to you and send the money i will be waiting:
----------------------------------------
Well, it’s been fun Freddie, but the house lights are flashing, and I think it’s time to end this little adventure with some fireworks. After sending this email, I swear I could hear Freddie soil his loin cloth half way around the world!
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
GOOD NEWS !
I HAVE A SOLUTION FOR US ALL !
I am hoping your sister will be available tomorrow for a special visitor!
My good friend and neighbor, Josie Wales, I have found out is going to Canada tomorrow on business where he will be staying in Toronto, a short ways from your sisters house. He has agreed to meet your sister tomorrow evening and pay her $300 cash.
Please do not be concerned for your sister - Josie is a very trustworthy man. He works for America's FBI, and he is a very important man there. Your sister will be very safe!
Now, please go and visit your sick grandmother - I think all is well now!
Rick
----------------------------------------
Funny thing – I never heard from Freddie again after this. However, I couldn’t resist one good parting shot ….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
Did you talk to your sister? Is it OK for Josie to stop by and give her the $300 tomorrow evening? I hope it is OK. If it is not OK then we have a problem as I need to get paid. If I am not paid by tomorrow evening, I have instructed Josie to retrieve my item from your sister.
If she does not have the item, Josie says this is THEFT and he will bring his associate from the Royal Mounted Police and arrest her for theft.
I do not want this to happen, so I hope you can make 100% sure that PayPal releases the $900 to me ASAP.
Do get back to me....
Rick
----------------------------------------
“Do get back to me....” But he never did.
***** Found this Interesting, Entertaining or Informative? Please read the complete blog at: *****
http://healthcarehullabalo.blogspot.com/
He said,"Hold a dollar bill up to the mirror
And I'll show you something funny
It's only a fast buck, but
It's so hard to make that kind of money"
-----Fast Buck Freddie, Jefferson Starship
It’s August, and hot outside. Vacation time.
Instead of shutting down my blog altogether, I decided instead to take a break from my usual ranting and ravings about Health Care, and share with you all a little bit of fun that I have had over the last week or so. It started when I listed an item on craigslist. The item was kind of expensive, and a bit oddball, so I was thrilled when I got the following inquiry via email:
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Is the item still up for sale.....
----------------------------------------
Well, he sure spells his last name funny, but heck, a sale is a sale, so I responded.
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
Yes - still available. Any questions?
----------------------------------------
I didn’t have to wait very long for his response…..
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Thanks for the quick response,
I will like to buy the item, for my sister who has just completed
her MASTERS as a goodwill gift, but the item will be shipped to her in
CANADA where she resides with our parents.
I will pay $600 including the postage charges to the Destination
via express mail service,
Kindly get back with your PayPal Email address for the payment so i
can pay you via my PayPal account and you do the shipping on my
behalf,....to make the whole transaction easier for us if you don't
have Paypal account you can log onto www.paypal.com and get your
account in less than few minutes as this is the best option for
me.......Kindly get back asap
Thanks..
----------------------------------------
Wow, I thought…that was easy. Maybe a bit TOO easy! After all, he didn’t have any questions about this oddball product. He didn’t even want to negotiate on the price – in fact, he offered MORE than I was asking. Plus, he wanted to use PayPal, which is a safe way to do business online.
Note to Self: WTF is a goodwill gift?
I don’t normally ship items, but since he was being so generous, I agreed to his terms and wrote back….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
My PayPal account ID is Rick@systematixonline.com.
Be sure to send me her address.
Thanks
Rick
----------------------------------------
He responded quickly…
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Thanks for the mail i will be making the payment as soon as possible..
Do get back to me,,
----------------------------------------
In fact, he responded TWICE. Things were starting to smell fishy….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Thanks for the mail i will be making the payment as soon as possible..
Do get back to me,,
----------------------------------------
Yes, he sent the same exact message 3 days apart. It could be an honest mistake, but now my ears were up….
Then, a few days later, I heard from Fred again….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello Rick,
Sorry for the late response, i just want you to know that i
have just proceed with the payment and i believe you must have receive
a conformation from paypal so kindly get the item shipped out and send
the tracking number to paypal for the confirmation...
Do get back to Asap...
Thanks
----------------------------------------
Now I noticed that the longer that our conversation went on, the worse his English got. But still, he said he made a payment, so maybe I shouldn’t jump to conclusions…..
Within the hour, I got an email from PayPal announcing that I have received money into my account,
---------------------------------------- FROM: “PayPal”
TO: Me
Dear Rick Albano ,
Thank you for using PayPal , This PayPal® payment has been deducted from buyer (fredwillson5@gmail.com) account and has been "APPROVED" but will not be credited into your account until the Shipment Reference/Tracking Number is sent to us for verification as to secure both Buyer and Seller. Below are the necessary information requested before your account will be credited.
You can now make the shipment and forward us the shipping verification (Tracking Number) in the next 48 hours and your account will be credited instantly.
Due to the policy of PayPal we are to protect both the buyer and seller against fraudulent activities, We advise you to ship out the item and send the Shipment/Tracking Number with Scanned Receipt to prove postage of the item in less than 48 hours so that we can credit your account immediately as soon as we receive the shipment details from you , You will recieve an Confirmation Email regarding that the money has been credit into your Account. Note that you must have any of your identity card to receive your money as soon as we receive the Shipment/Tracking Number from you.
Shipping address:
DEVRET CLARKE
No 740 Midland Avenue,
Apartment 210, Scarvorough,
ON M1K 4E1,
Canada
Address Status: Confirmed
----------------------------------------
OK, the gig is up.
I was the intended victim of a Nigerian scam.
What made me so sure? Well, first of all, I always check the email address of the sender. In this case, the sender said they were Service@intl.paypal.com but the actual initiating email was paypal_money_transfer@inmail24.com, which is not a valid PayPal address.
Another clue was that PayPal would never ‘hold’ money until they received proof of shipping – even if they did, the transaction would have showed up in my PayPal account but it would have been marked “pending”.
A final clue was that PayPal actually has people who can write in proper English and who can spell the word “receive”. “I” before “E”, except after “C”, my African friend!
I immediately forwarded a copy of this latest email to PayPal, who confirmed what I already knew – this was a scam.
Now, I could have just ignored any future emails from Freddie of the Serengeti, but I decided that I would play along, have some fun, and see what his scam was. So I became the gullible American…
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
Sorry - the money has not appeared in my account. Please check with PayPal.
Rick
----------------------------------------
I was curious how he would explain that one….
I didn’t have to wait long.
Freddie may be a con artist, but he was a punctual one!
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello Rick,
Thanks for the response i believe paypal must have send you a
confirmation of the payment to you id,and i want you to know that the
money has been deducted from my account and as soon as they got the
shipment confirmation you account will be credited immediately..
Do get back to me Asap..
Well his English was not improving. I decided to show him that I was well experienced with PayPal and how it really works, and so I wrote him back….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
OK, I will ship as soon as I can.
I always use PayPal shipping, so I have to wait until the transaction
shows up in my account in order to create the label. Your payment
should be listed in my account overview and say 'pending' as the
status.
As of this morning, it still is not in my account, so please check
with PayPal and make sure that they did not lose your transaction - I
would hate to see you lose all of that money! I am sure that it must
be a simple mistake on PayPal's part as they are usually very good
about this.
As always, please keep me informed.
Rick
----------------------------------------
Once again, Fred responded quickly….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Thanks Rick for the mail,
I understand what you mean, but i want you to know that paypal have
to verify the shipment tracking number so that they can credit your
account immediately this is just to protect both the seller and the
buyer,so kindly get the item shipped out and forward the shipment
tracking number to them for verification....Do get back to me Asap....
Thanks
Fred
----------------------------------------
Now it was time to sink the hook. I still didn’t figure out his scam, but I was determined to play this out as long as I could, so I led him to believe that I was falling for his nonsense….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
Gee, I always use PayPal shipping to create the label ... but I can't
do that without the item showing up on my PayPal page. I guess this
must be something new with PayPal.
The item is already packed up and ready to ship. I will just take it
to the Post Office today and send it the old fashioned way.
As soon as I get the Delivery Confirmation number from the Post Office
I will email it to you.
Hopefully your sister will get her gift in time.
Email me with any questions, please.
Thank you once again, Fred
----------------------------------------
.
My next email called his bluff….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
OK, I just returned from the Post Office and I have the Tracking
Number. Where do I send it so that PayPal can conclude the
transaction? Please let me know ASAP
Rick
----------------------------------------
Well this must have dumbfounded Fred as he did not reply to this email quite so quickly. I decided to prod him with a followup email…
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
Dear Fred -
I have not heard from you yet - please tell me where I can submit the
Tracking Number so that PayPal will release the funds. The package
is already on it's way to your sister in Canada. Please let me know
ASAP.
Thanks
Rick
----------------------------------------
This time, Fred responded. I guess it took him a while to set up another phoney PayPal email.
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Thanks for the mail you can send the tracking number to paypal
customer care which is paypal_money _transfer@inmail24.com and the
will get back to you and credit you account immediately....
Do get back to me..........
Now I decided to make poor Freddie wait. Sure enough, he lost this round of chicken and asked me for the tracking number once again …
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello rick,
you can also send a copy of the tracking number to me so that i can
make sure you get the money immediately....
Thanks for the understanding...
----------------------------------------
I must have really rattled poor Freddie’s cage – he didn’t sign this email “Do get back to me asap” like he usually did. I felt ashamed that I was torturing this poor Nigerian….NOT!
I decided that I would call his bluff (just a little). After all, PayPal is a HUGE corporation – if I just sent them my tracking number, how would they know what transaction it referred to DUH ! Perhaps ‘ol Freddie knew….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
What reference number do I give them? They will obviously need a
transaction ID# so they know what the tracking number is for. Please
advise.
Also, should I cc you with the number?
Thanks
Rick
----------------------------------------
Fred got back to me quickly, be he wouldn’t (or couldn’t ) answer my tracking number question…
OK now – he wants me to scan the receipt and send it to them (and him). Still no answer to my reference number question.
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
okay i mean the shipment tracking number....which will be you to
confirm th shipment or you scan the receipt to them and send a cc to
me..
Do get back to me......
----------------------------------------
“ Do get back to me….“? Nah, I think I’ll make him wait some more. Sure enough, Freddie was getting nervous that I might not close the deal….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
I will be waiting to hear back from you ................
----------------------------------------
Lots of dots at the end of this email. And Freddie was right – he would be waiting to hear back from me. But I wasn’t done with him yet – not by a long shot. I eventually did get back to him….
But now I had to up the ante. I went to my local Post Office and got a blank “Delivery Confirmation” form. I gave Freddie this number to track….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
OH - here it is:
USPS 0310 0480 0001 9717 3460
Where do I send it to Pay Pal, or do you send it for me?
Let me know
Rick
----------------------------------------
Now Freddie got a little bit more flustered, and as he did so, he mangled his English even more. Run on sentences are bad, Freddie. Punctuation is your friend. Didn’t your ESL class teach you anything?
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello okay, i can help you to send it to them all i want you to do is
to scan the receipt to me so that it will be easier....
Do get back to me with the scanned receipt..Because tracking number is
not as much as this and it usually have alphabet at the beginning or
ending so you can scan the receipt for me so that i can send it to
them immediately.....
Thanks and sorry for the inconveniences....
----------------------------------------
Well, I didn’t have a receipt to scan – just the number – so I decided to play dumb with him and tell him I didn’t have a scanner….I did offer him a logical alternative, though….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
I am so sorry, but I do not have a scanner. I gave you the numbers
exactly as they were on the receipt so you should be ok with that.
If you really need a copy of the receipt, what is your fax number? I
can fax a copy to you and you can then scan it yourself.
Get back to me
Rick
----------------------------------------
Freddie tried again to get the tracking number
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Thanks for the mail,
The tracking number usually comes with alphabet on it you can
check well because what you gave me is not the tracking number,,,
Do get back to me asap....
----------------------------------------
. I didn’t know that tracking numbers usually had the alphabet on them…did you?
A B C D E F G….. Next time sing along with me!
I decided to set Freddie straight…
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
I think that you are referring to a UPS Tracking # - This is one from
the US Post Office - I can assure you, this is a complete # - I double
checked it.
Please get back to me and let me know you understand.
Rick
----------------------------------------
Freddie got back to me right away, but he couldn’t get off the whole scanning thing….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Ok just try to scan the receipt to so that i can be able to forward it
to them,try to scan it to me today...with that your money will be
credited immediately...
do get back to me with the scan receipt..immediately please.please
because i don't want your money to be delayed.....
THANKS.....
----------------------------------------
I decided to be a little bit more abrupt with Freddie – perhaps then I could get my message through ….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
Dear Fred
Did you not read my last message?
I DO NOT HAVE A SCANNER !
I am sorry, but I can't scan the receipt for you.
Just give me your FAX NUMBER and I will FAX a copy to you. You can
scan it and forward it then.
Rick
----------------------------------------
I guess poor Fred didn’t know how to deal with the whole “no scanner” issue. I got tired of waiting for his response, so I prodded him again….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
Dear Fred -
Did the # I gave for you work? Still no payment from PayPal. I am concerned.
Rick
----------------------------------------
Still I didn’t hear back from Fred. Perhaps he changed his name. I decided to change it for him to see if he would notice. He didn’t!
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
Phil - PLEASE GET BACK TO ME ! I still have no money from PayPal and
I am getting worried!
Rick
----------------------------------------
Well, calling him Phil did the trick – Fred (aka Phil) finally got back to me….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello,
you can check the receipt you collect,form USPS and send the tracking
number,because you money will not be credited if they do not see the
tracking number Do get back to me..
Am worried also...
----------------------------------------
“am worried also”? That makes 2 of us, Hemmingway.
Fred’s last email made me a little testy, and I let him know it…
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
As I told you....here is the tracking number from the US POST OFFICE:
0310 0480 0001 9717 3460
What else do you need????
Rick
----------------------------------------
I thought this last email might jar him a bit, but Freddie was still hung up on the whole scanner thing…..
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Thanks for the mail,
Am sorry for the worries,i am trying to do all this so that your
money can be credited as soon as possible,Kindly find a means of
scanning the receipt to me so that i can send it to them
immediately...
Do get back to Asap....
Thanks...
----------------------------------------
Didn’t I tell him I didn’t have a scanner?
Didn’t he understand my simple words?
Well, it seems Fred finally tried to track his package online. Of course, since I never sent it, the Tracking # I gave him was useless, as he soon found out….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello try this link and track the item i can see that you just want to
be fooling me,there is no record for it which means you did not send
it of you are sure of you self find a means of scanning the receipt to
me...this is the link........
trkcnfrm1.smi.usps.com/PTSInternetWeb/InterLabelInquiry.do..
Get back to Asap...
----------------------------------------
You think I am fooling you? Moi? Not after all we’ve been through, Freddie. Also, I noticed his English continued to get worse. I decided that MY English should follow suit. I started making grammaticak mistakes in my emails and waited to see if he noticed.
To wit:
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
Fred -
I do not know why they have no record of my shipment. I will go to
the Post Office and ask them why this does not show. Please bear with
me.
I am not be fooling you. I am sure of me that you are the honest and
trustworthy person so I would not be fooling of you.
Rick
----------------------------------------
Yes, I would never shit a turd like you, Freddie. And, lo and behold! Freddie understood!
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Thanks for the mail,
i really understand what you mean,Try and do something tomorrow and
get back to me Asap..
i will be expecting your mail.....
Thanks....
----------------------------------------
Awwww…he understands! Time to make him wait some more….
I also like his use of the word “mail” instead of “email”….maybe I’ll start using that myself….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
What is going on..You haven't mail me..
Do get back to me Asap....
----------------------------------------
Impatient little prick, isn’t he. I guess with a life expectancy of only 50 years, a Nigerian can’t waste a lot of time….so I got back to him…..
---------------------------------------- FROM: Me
TO: Fred Willson
Sorry I did not mail you. I just returned from my postal center. The
man said he does not know why the system has no record - he says it
must be a mistake. He also said it should be with your sister already
or if not already soon as in tomorrow. Can you mail your sister and
see if she has received her good will present?
I still have not found a scanner to use to scan the receipt. If your
sister acknowledges that she has the package, will PayPal send me my
monies?
Thank you Fred - I will mail you again soon.
Rick
----------------------------------------
What a load of BS – who would buy that line? Well, Freddie would, for one….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Thanks for the mail,
My sister mail me that she has received the package,and i am going
to instruct paypal to credit you account right away am so sorry for
the delay,i apologize so they will get back to you after they have
credited your account..
Once again am sorry.....
----------------------------------------
Miracles of miracles! His sister received the package I never sent! You know, people like to complain about the Post Office, but they have always done an outstanding job for me…..but I digress….
Side note: Watch those run on sentences Freddie!
He reassured me that my money was coming soon with yet another email ….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello Fred,
I have contact them and they told me that they will get back to you as soon as possible...
Do get back to me...
Thanks....
----------------------------------------
Note to Self: Why is he calling ME Fred?
His next email wasn’t much better….
---------------------------------------- FROM: Fred Willson
TO: Me
Hello fred,
Hope they have contacted you about the money you can check your paypal id for the because they told mr they have just get back to you.....Because am really concern about your money i want to do everything possible so that you can get the money as soon as possible..
----------------------------------------
Well, I know he’s a scammer. But what is his scam? Check out my next blog for all of the gory details!
***** Found this Interesting, Entertaining or Informative? Please read the complete blog at: *****
http://healthcarehullabalo.blogspot.com/
If you recall an earlier blog on the true costs of the active ingredient in your favorite prescription medicines, the all-out uncontested winner was the sleep medicine Lunesta, with a price of $2,656.67 per gram.
It seems that many insurance companies are unhappy with the price of Lunesta as well, and they are charging a higher co-pay for this medicine, in an attempt to get their subscribers to switch to a lower cost ‘generic’ medicine like zolpidem.
.
What’s a pharmaceutical company to do?
Well, for one thing, they are now offering a free 7 day trial for this profit-star. And since (according to Drugs.com) “Lunesta may be habit-forming”, this will surely get their foot in the door with many patients who have trouble sleeping. Looks like Sepracor, the company that makes Lunesta, is taking a play out of the drug pushers handbook – i.e. give ‘em a taste for free and get them hooked’. Hey, sometimes you can’t beat the classic approach!
The other thing that Sepracor is doing is offering what amounts to a free coupon, where you can get up to $50 off each monthly prescription for the next 12 months – a savings of up to $600.00. The $50 monthly savings will surely offset all but the most extreme co-pays, and by the end of 12 months, your habit will be well established.
Well, both of these approaches might seem a little shady and unethical to you and me, but we’re dealing with corporate profits here. In 2007 alone, Lunesta netted Sepracor close to 598 million dollars in revenue – AFTER paying for all those rebates, sales staff, print ads and TV commercials. I am sure that Sepracor executives sleep very well indeed – even without the use of their overpriced little pill.
***** Found this Interesting, Entertaining or Informative? Please read the complete blog at: *****
http://healthcarehullabalo.blogspot.com/
Well, not everywhere. California, it seems, is a VERY good place to run a health insurance company.
In 2007, when the rest of America was dealing with the rapidly-expanding recession, HMO profits in California rose a whopping 46 percent. Even more surprising, the biggest growth was realized by Blue Shield of California, who almost doubled its profit margin from the previous year.
The funny thing is, California Blue Shield is a not-for-profit company. So why do they continue to raise their rates and their profits to astronomical levels? The only explanation I can think of is that someone at Blue Shield of California didn’t get the memo about the whole not-for-profit thing. If this is the case, maybe the entire health care crisis can be blamed on inefficient mailrooms all across corporate America.
Yeah, that’s the ticket! I shoulda been a Spin Doctor!
***** Found this Interesting, Entertaining or Informative? Please read the complete blog at: *****
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Words every Dad has said at least once in his life. Nothing is worse then trying to mediate two bickering children. Funny thing is, even though my kids are grown, I find myself, once again, in this very frustrating position.
As I have written before, I am in the midst of some heavy duty eye surgery. My one eye is fixed, and the second one is recovering from the first of 3 surgeries. In fact, it is pretty much visionless right now. Back in April, I had surgery to repair my retina. In order to repair the retina, the surgeon had to drain the eye of the jelly (or vitreous) that normally fills your eye. After the surgery, the surgeon refills the eye with silicone oil that holds everything together while it heals. The next surgery will be to remove that oil, and let the eye continue healing on its’ own. This should happen sometime early this fall. I say ‘should’ happen, because I am now caught in the crossfire between two bickering children…
Last month I found out that my eye surgery group was fighting with my insurance carrier over the rates that they will be paid upon renewing their contract. The carrier wanted to pay them at a rate below what Medicare pays. In laymen’s terms, this translates to slave wages. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised is, after calculating in overhead such as support staff salaries, malpractice insurance, etc., the surgical group would be losing money for each patient they treated at the new proposed rate. They weren’t even looking for a raise – they were looking to continue on with the old contract’s rates. Unfortunately, my insurance carrier didn’t see things that way, and they are holding their ground as well. Long story made short, as of mid-July, my surgeon no longer accepts my insurance.
This has left me in a predicament – here I am with my eye surgery only partially done, and no where to get it completed. While other eye surgeons are still in my insurance plan, no one wants to take over my case. Who would want the liability of finishing someone elses work? So, here I am, up the proverbial creek.
I called my carrier and asked them if I could possibly continue seeing my old surgeon within my old plan until my surgery is finished. They said they would consider it IF my surgeon filled out their request form. Unfortunately, my surgeon’s office refused to complete THEIR form, instead offering their own ‘continuation of care’ for. Unfortunately, my carrier will not recognize the surgeons form.
Fortunately, after much cajoling and a half dozen phone calls, I finally got my surgeon to complete the carrier’s form. Now it will be up to the carrier to grant my request. Hopefully, they will do so without any further provocation on my part. However, I am ready for the worst and prepared to take this case to higher authorities…if the need arises. I’m now patiently waiting for the powers that be to shuffle their paperwork and get back to me. I’ll be sure to let you know how things work out.
This is another example of a serious problem with our health care system. This is really a simple matter that should have never arisen in the first place. Instead, a good half dozen people or more have gotten involved in this case. All of those people get paid salaries and benefits, and the money to pay this all comes out of OUR health care dollars. Plus, I’m wasting many hours of my time trying to mediate this fiasco.
It’s very frustrating. Sometimes, I wish that I could get both sides together so that I could scream at them, if only to stop their bickering and bring them to their senses.
If I have to pull this car over…..!
***** Found this Interesting, Entertaining or Informative? Please read the complete blog at: *****
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