I was so excited when I received the first one that I had to read it twice before I caught the stench of a scam. I replied to the email, thinking I would be a detective and try to bust the would be criminal. I'll let you read all the responses for yourself. Here are the emails I received:
Jones White to me show details Oct 10 (8 days ago)
Hi,
Let me know if you are available to tutor my Son great things and how much it will cost for a minimum time of 3hrs per week.
Dr.Jones.
To which I reply with the following email. Check out my sneaky detective skills. I refrained from referring to him as Indiana. I figured if I kept it light and simple he wouldn't catch on to my ploy and divulge all his sinister plan to me at which time I would swoop in with a team of internet snipers and make him pay for his egregious crimes.
Dr. Jones,
I charge $25 an hour for tutoring sessions. Were you interested in the Spanish lessons or English Language Arts and Writing? What grade is your son and what is his name?
Please respond with days and times if you are interested in my services.
Thank you,
Amber
He responds:
Jones White
Hi Amber,
Thanks for getting back to me...am Dr. Jones White. I am from Fresno,California but currently based in Elizabeth Vale, South Australia. with my wife and children.. My son Frank will be coming for an holiday in the States,and i want him to be busy throughout.
Therefore, i just want to know if he can always come to you and teach him good things on Spanish every afternoon..If this is possible,i will want you to get back to me with the cost of your teaching him for a month which can start by 26th of October to next month...
He will be in the state in 2 weeks time...He will be coming to your Place for 1 hour each morning or afternoon..The Local Library would be your meeting place and Nanny would be dropped off/picked up during the hours of teaching
My Son's name is Frank,he is 13 years old and he is just a beginner. I will want you to calculate 1 hour per day for Monday,Wednesday,Friday for a MONTH,and get back to me so that we can arrange on payment.Kindly get back to me with.. TOTAL CHARGES FOR 1 MONTH THAT HE WILL BE TAUGHT 3 TIMES PER WEEK..
Thanks and waiting to read from you soon.
Dr. Jones.
Does that smell fishy to you? I think so. I haven't figured out how to get into my angelienajoliesque harness and body suit yet, but am planning something ingenious to catch this lowlife who preys on unassuming victims.
Here are the other emails that followed the wily Dr. Jones:
Davis Micheal to me
show details Oct 17 (1 day ago)
Hi,
Let me know if you are available to tutor my Son great things and how much it will cost for a minimum time of 3hrs per week.
Dr.davis
Rev James Vincent to me show details 4:13 AM (6 hours ago)
Hello,
How are you and how was your day be like,I saw your teaching ad's on craigslist and i will like to know if you can teach my son in your field 3 times in a week and 1 hour each day. Please get back to me with your charges per hour and your cell phone number,so that i can call you to discuss about it better.
Have a nice Day and i hope to read from you soon.
You Are Bless
Reverend James
Bill Blauer to me show details Oct 12 (5 days ago) -- Notice how in this last email from Bruce he tries to close the deal by selling the non-smoker aspect of his Son. Reads more like a pedophiliac singles ad.
A tutor Teacher is needed urgently for my 14 years old Son, possibly 2-3 days a week. Very flexible hour, Non-smoker, Excellent compensation. Get back with your price per/h if you are available.
Regards
Bruce
I think I'll respond to all with the following message:
Dear all,
I think you all are in greater need of my services as an English teacher than your children are in need of my Spanish tutoring. Your grammar is horrible, and the thin veil behind which you have hidden your scam is laughably poor. Maybe this type of ignorant plot to extract money from a victim would work on you and your Son, but not me.
I would love to teach you Great Things. Lesson number 1: Learn the language through which you are trying to deceive your victims. Lesson number 2: Learn about American culture if that is the country you would like to rob the most. Here in the great U.S of A, the professional doctors don't generally sign correspondence with the title and their first name. Idiots! It would read Indian Jones, Ph. D, M.D or D.D.S etc.. Lesson number 3: Learn your Geographical facts. Billings, Montana is nowhere near Fresno, California.
I'm sure if you decided to grow a set of cojones and come here to the United States that my fellow countrymen and women would love to round out your education.
Sincerely,
Amber
2 comments:
hi Amber! i m also a language tutor, i teach italian, french and croatian.I`ve received the same Email form Dr. jones.
but i received anothe type of email very similar to dr. jones:
Hi ....,
Thanks for your reply regarding my inquiry.My daughter is interested in French.She has a little knowledge in french.
My name is Mendz and i am with the US CONSULATE in Belgium, my daughter (Faith) is 15 will be coming to U.S for her holiday,and she is interested in having tutorial during the
holiday. She is a middle school student,very brilliant ,sharp and
smart little girl. She will be meeting you for 1 hour lesson per day(3
times per week) either at your house or any nearby tutorial center(Morning or Afternoon).
I got a good and responsible nanny that will relocate to your location to take proper care of her and also to always drive her down to the location of the lesson.
You would be receiving a check drawn from a Bank in the US, from the foreign affairs department in the US. This check would be made out for the cost of the tutorial services you are rendering , and also for the flight expense and nanny fees of my daughter.I will make an upfront payment of $300 for the 1st month.
Regarding this- I hope i can trust you with this payment, as the payment would be made out in excess, so all you have to do is deposit and cash the payment at your bank, deduct your tutorial service fee, plus an additional $100 for run around fee and any learning materials that is required of her. The balance of the money should be sent to the
Nanny via western union money transfer.
The nanny will be contacting you with further arrangement and
instructions regarding pickup/drop off of my daughter to where you would always teach her.
I hope i can trust you that you will teach my daughter good academics and some moral respects so that she can be good to herself in the future.
I hope i can count on you for the tutorial and the money to be sent to the Nanny. I look forward to read a detailed message from you containing the following information, if you are OK with my arrangement.
Send me your full name,address and cell phone number so that i can write the check payable to your name.
The payment will be mailed to you as soon as possible by the Ups next day service.
I hope to hear from you as soon as possible.
thanks for your posting, i was an "eye-opener"
best wishes
Thank you for posting about the tutoring schemes. I received the same thing from "Mrs. Mary Johnson" within minutes of posting an ad for piano lessons on craigslist. Mrs. Mary Johnson is the same name as some people from Nigeria who are trying to send millions of dollars to the U.S. with help from anyone they can get to respond! The people wanting tutors don't even bother to specify the subject of the instruction, or ask about qualifications of the tutor.
Also, the scammers obviously don't know about the differences between American and British English.
I recognized the scam because our local music teachers association warned us about this type of thing several years ago.
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