Suspicious - any comments please?

[Isy]

What about ringing them?

[Essar]

I know that USA English is not quite the same as English English, but they can usually spell correctly and the "3th" is the giveaway.

If this is not a 100% scam I'll upgrade my MkIII up to GB's latest version.

[oasiscouple]

Silence since I sent my reply enclosing a booking form and asked how they want to pay so perhaps something has triggered doubts that I might fall for any scam attempt.

[oasiscouple]

I spoke too soon. Reply just received:

"Hello,
Thanks for confirming our booking.
I received your contract and I will sign and send back before end of the week.
My accountant confirmed the cheque was sent to your address, you should receive in few days.
Kindly get back to me as soon as your receive the cheque.
Thanks for your cooperation."

No suspect link to click on but it still smells a bit. I am not sure how a cheque sent from the USA will work in France. I will let you know any further development.

Can anyone second guess how it will go?

[Essar]

An overseas cheque will still pay into a French account and probably show as cleared fairly quickly. There is still nothing to stop the whole thing bouncing in a few months time; after they have been and gone

I wouldn't accept a cheque as payment; if they want to use their accountant to pay the bill that's fine, but accountants can pay by bank transfer.

I still think it's a scam.

[Bunny]

Well it is possible to get a cheque raised in the US in Euros BUT it still stinks of an overpayment scam to me. If you do receive the cheque I bet it will be made for too much money asking you to cash it and refund a proportion by bank transfer.

I'll eat my hat if this one comes good. Please keep us informed.

Crossed with Essar, and why would he delay in completing the rental agreement?

[greenbarn]

Everything that Essar said, but I'm still betting on the cheque being an overpayment because the "accountant" (and we all ask our accountant to pay our holiday bookings don't we? ) will either make a mistake or will be including an amount to pay for the parascending lessons/car hire/medical treatment.

EDIT - crossed with Bunny - suspicious minds think alike!

[kevsboredagain]

That reply would confirm the scam to me.

[FelicityA]

The booking form will be attached, unless you have an online tick box version (?) and you will want to look at that, won't you? That's a bit of a catch 22. But my scam-o-meter just blew up when I ran it through (but it is an old version).

[zebedee]

Don't worry about replacing your scammometer Felicity, there are some available on EBay on offer - the seller is called Mary Rosenburg

[oasiscouple]

Many thanks for your comments. In my earlier email to them, I enclosed 2 pdf documants, the booking form to fill in and return to me and the booking conditions also to be signed and returned. I have just received the following email:

"Hello,
I hereby attached signed/dated copy of the contract.
Kindly get back to me when you receive the booking payment.
Thanks for your cooperation"

The two pdf documents are attached as JPG documents. Is my computer at risk by downloading them? I haven't done so but just viewing them without downloading them they have been filled in and signed in the name of Richard/Mary Rosenburg with two children Tom and Sarah, the address being 848 E. 51st Street, New York, 10022 USA.

The address seems to exist so up to now it is not in my view a glaring scam. We will see whaen the payment arrives.

[kevsboredagain]

Many thanks for your comments. In my earlier email to them, I enclosed 2 pdf documants, the booking form to fill in and return to me and the booking conditions also to be signed and returned. I have just received the following email:

"Hello,
I hereby attached signed/dated copy of the contract.
Kindly get back to me when you receive the booking payment.
Thanks for your cooperation"

The two pdf documents are attached as JPG documents. Is my computer at risk by downloading them? I haven't done so but just viewing them without downloading them they have been filled in and signed in the name of Richard/Mary Rosenburg with two children Tom and Sarah, the address being 848 E. 51st Street, New York, 10022 USA.

The address seems to exist so up to now it is not in my view a glaring scam. We will see whaen the payment arrives.

If you viewed them, your PC has already downloaded them, even if only to a temporary location. No harm in JPG. Just waiting now for the cheque from "the accountant"

[FelicityA]

Even the names are suspect! Just too 'perfect family'. The numbers on E 51st Street don't go beyond 499 on my investigation. Everything higher than that actually comes up as, weirdly, 'pedestrian crossing', including your 848 although google maps appears to pinpoint a building on the map view, but if you go into the street view, you will see it is not there.

[aussiefrog]

I spoke too soon. Reply just received:

"My accountant confirmed the cheque was sent to your address, you should receive in few days.

No American I've had dealings with ever, ever, spelt cheque like that. It is always check.

The whole thing smells strongly of scam, surely these days any American accountant (or just about any accountant) would make a bank transfer, even in the smallest hokey town.

[kevsboredagain]

I for one am glad that you are following through with this until the exact nature of the scam is known rather than second guessing based on grammar errors. I think it's important to be aware how exactly the scammers work.