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Up Topic Chit-Chat & Non-Welding Discussion / Off-Topic Bar and Grill / Scam message
- - By CHGuilford (****) Date 06-09-2008 16:35
I just got a message , on a PM from this forum, requesting I send $500 to an American welder, stuck in London because he doesn't have enough money to purchase a BTA document that will allow him to return to the USA.  This is because he supposedly paid out $8500 to a "contractor" for document fees....yada yada.

His command of English is not that great and claims his name is Mark Cole (I can't help thinking of the USS Cole).

Anyone else get a similar message?
Parent - - By ctacker (****) Date 06-09-2008 16:37
maybe they know who makes the "big" bucks! :)
Parent - By CHGuilford (****) Date 06-09-2008 17:01
Hey!!  I represent that remark!
Parent - By Stephan (***) Date 06-09-2008 17:28
Chet,

good to see that I am not alone and the only one who has received the message from him!

I have got it Friday last week, and have already informed John Wright on this.

John has fortunately advised me to not send him any money and stated that he wanted to inform Ross from the AWS Marketing as well.

As the fellow has written that he were sitting in the UK (defrauded by some Oil Company guys) and would need the money for a BTA (Basic Traveller Allowance) required from US Residents who want to leave the UK to get back to the US, I have asked a good friend of mine who is an Englishman and he told me that there is   n o t h i n g   required at all.

Best regards,
Stephan
Parent - - By jrw159 (*****) Date 06-09-2008 18:45
Hi John,
How are you? I hope you are doing pretty well. I am Mark a 35 years old welder from Arkansas. I have been a member of the American Welding Society for 5 years now, since I started welding.

Actually I have been in the UK (United Kingdom) for the past 10 days now. This is because I was made to understand that I have secured a Job contract to work for an Oil servicing firm for a year here in UK with a big pay of 100,000 pounds annually. I applied for this Job contract in May and since then have been in constant communication with the people. After sometime they informed me that i have secured the job and will need to come to UK to finish every paper work with regards to the contract before i can start the job.They sent me an invitation which i used to get Visa at the Embassy. When i got here,i was picked up at the airport by three guys and checked me into a hotel. the next day,they told me that i will need to go to some offices to get some papers and sign some documents. Infact,they collected the total sum of $8,500 from me in the process. After 4 days,i did not see any of them again.I waited for one week in the hotel and nobody came.I had to inform the hotel management about it and they told me that i might have been just defrauded. I could not believe it.I had to pay the hotel another money to enable me stay for sometime and plan my way back to the states.

Infact yesterday i had to book my flight ticket to the United States. And i was told that i will need a BTA(Basic Travelling Allowance) before i can fly from Uk to another country. Honestly i have spent all the money i have and what is left for me now is just $700 and the BTA is $1,200.

Please,my friend i will like you to just help me out with $500 to complete the BTA and fly back to US.I don't know what to do since i have no folks.Moreover i was told that the BTA is just for travel security incase anything happens and it may not need to be spent.I promise to pay you back as soon as i get back to US.
I am writing to you because you once replied to my post and i belief we are friends.I have just 4 days for the ticket and Below is my flight Schedule:

THIS IS THE FLIGHT INFO:

Departure

From London (London Heathrow International Airport) to Amsterdam
(Schiphol)

Flight number KL 0588

Departure time      21:40 Mon 09 June, 2008
Arrival time           05:25 Tue 10 June, 2008

Class Economy Class

From Amsterdam (Schiphol) to Newyork

Flight number KL 6057

Departure time   14:20 Tue 10 June, 2008
Arrival time        17:00 Tue 10 June, 2008

Class Economy

Remarks Operated by Northwest Airlines

From Newyork to Arkansas

Flight number KL 6882

Departure time  19:40 Tue 10 June, 2008
Arrival time       22:30 Tue 10 June, 2008

Class Economy

Remarks Operated by Northwest Airlines

Price:

Passengers

1 adult.

Price

USD 1,529.44 

Price Breakdown
Show price breakdown
Price Breakdown
   Passenger Type  Ticket price*  Tax*  No.
Total*
Adult(s) 1,110.00 419.44 1 1,529.44
  * Prices are listed in USD.
USD 1,529.44

Passenger information:

Title

Mr.

First Name

MARK

Last Name

COLE

Phone daytime

0000000000

E-mail

World Perks (Northwest Airlines)
NW 0000000000

Kindly help me to get back.I am hoping to hear from you soonest.

Your friend,
Mark.

Did it look something like this? Or exactly like this with your name rather than mine?

ROSS!!
Parent - - By Stephan (***) Date 06-09-2008 19:54
John!

Huuuh...

Looks quite so as you have had a look into my PM account. :-):-):-)

You know, my very first thought was: "Help this guy!" hence had already talked to my wife and she agreed to me!

But then I researched the Internet and had quickly found:

http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/international_financial_scams_brochure.pdf, and

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070325015835AARLWBs

That was the point in time when I had informed John Wright and decided to rather not pass on any money or data to him.

My English colleague whereas had furthermore some very few ( 2 in words "two" ) but very drastic words to reply...

"**** you!"

You know what he advised me to response? :-)

Best regards,
Stephan
Parent - - By jrw159 (*****) Date 06-09-2008 20:54 Edited 06-09-2008 20:57
Stephan,
  Hello my good friend.

"You know what he advised me to response? "

I can only imagine that the advice given to you was something along the lines of, reply with  "**** you!"

I have stated in another post that I hope this is not one of our members who is truly in need of help, and I do not think it is at this point.

I have a heart that is not quite cold as stone, but I was issued a brain right along with it. However if one throws a pretty female into the equation, my brain has been known to act up a little. LOL :-)

John

BTW I have not even bothered to respond to this one.
Parent - - By CHGuilford (****) Date 06-10-2008 16:45
I'm trying not to stereotype here, but if you look at the way the sentences are constructed you will note that the guy's command of the english language doesn't fit what you might expect from someone who claims to be an American with the last name of Cole. 

How many American welders do you know of that would be patient enough to quietly sit in a hotel room for a week waiting for a a phone call?

As was mentioned in an above post, a "BTA" is not required to travel in England.

Just a "hunch" but that email spells out s-c-a-m.  I too hate the thought of an honest person getting stuck in another country.  But I think the email author is most likely sitting comfortably in his/her home in some other part of the world.  Hopefuly no one sends out any money.
Parent - By jrw159 (*****) Date 06-10-2008 17:13
Those were my observations as well. I think I eluded to this in another thread concerning this topic.

jrw159
Parent - By sbcmweb (****) Date 06-15-2008 21:42
Classic 419 MUGU scam. Nigerians using the internet to run scams. scambaiter.com is a great place to be edujamacated on it. Props to the user that originally posted the site. I can't recall their name, but lots of good info there about scams. S.W.
Up Topic Chit-Chat & Non-Welding Discussion / Off-Topic Bar and Grill / Scam message

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