[Woodcarver] Scam Alert

[Ron Ramsey]

I want to warn other carvers about a scam that was attempted on me.  I received a request for a custom order for two carved doors along with a request for the price including shipping to a specific zip code in Georgia.  The scammer specified the specific doors they wanted to order from photos on my website.  I replied with my normal reply requesting size and swing of the doors.  They replied to me with sizes and swing.  I spent a couple of hours contacting the stained glass artist, door maker and shipping company to get prices on the costs and then adding in my time to get a final price.  I take a 50% deposit on custom orders which came to $8850. The "customer" agreed to send the deposit check.  Everything up to this point was normal procedure for this type of order.  I then received a check via USPS Express Mail for $10,000.  Receiving a check for more than the requested amount is unusual but has happened before.  The check was drawn on the account of The American University in Bulgaria.  This along with the amount of the check raised a red flag with me and I had my bank check the validity of the account. My bank verified it as a valid account.  An internet search showed The American University in Bulgaria to be a real university.  At that point I thought that the order was probably legitimate.   With trepidation I deposited the check with the intention that I would not start any work until the check cleared.  Two days later I got an email from the scammer saying that the extra amount had been a mistake and they needed $1500 back to pay the installer for the doors and to send it Western Union immediately.  At that point I knew it was a scam and sure enough the next day my bank notified me that the check was a forgery.

Ron Ramsey
http://www.carvedbyramsey.com





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