Interesting Email

[gumtree]

I was done for the day with “all things horse”. Checked my email before “signing off” and picking up my remote for some TV.

In my inbox I see “Urgent” from Mark Page. Don’t know a Mark Page 972 at Yahoo.com. Don’t think I know anyone that still uses Yahoo.

Now I am not the sharpest “tech” person in the box. But for an “old guy” I have been using the internet and email since the early 90s. I know when something doesn’t pass the sniff test. I never open a suspect link, nor respond to suspect emails. Especially ones that are written this way. Not exactly written by someone who has a decent command of “American English”. Let alone “horse speak” We don’t advertise either.

I have no intention of responding. “Billy” will have to look elsewhere. The “sender” has been added to my blocked senders list.

My question to “scam experts” what could the sender benefit from those that do reply?

I open it and it says the following;

Hello,
How are you today,i was looking for a good boarder for my horse for two months and saw your advert,i went through it and found out you have the facility to provide either full stall or pasture boarding for the period Please get back with the requirements to have my horse board at your barn for this period…
NOTE:
About My Horse
Name: Billy
Sex-: Gelding
Breed-: Arabian
Age:14
Paper Available:
1, Insurance,
2 ,Worming ,
3, Tetanus And Coggins
Intending Date to start: 25/07/2015 Let me know if you have a space available for this time . get back to me with the details required to reserved a space for him And Also cost for boarding for each months either.
PASTURE,
FULL STALL
OR PADDOCK
And do you have Quality Horse Boarding and Training .do also do you have any way of treating horses

[Callista17]

Strange, but do you advertise? Are you even a layover barn? Never know…it may be someone traveling for work or recommended by someone else…Honestly the barn I’m at once in awhile would have horses llay over on their way to Canada (NOT KB or anything sketchy). The barn owner was aware, but as a feeder in the morning, all of a sudden more eyes are staring at me (from a side that is generally empty of horses). The hauler kind of has a standing thing if needed because he’s been good…comes in, comes back AM, hooks up trailer, reloads, gone! Poof! No idea how they know him, they said he just called one day, and they said ok, and done.

[mht]

He would probably send you payment for an amount greater than what is required, ask you to deposit it, and send him back the overpayment. Then…the payment does not clear, and you get scammed out of the money you sent him.

[SnicklefritzG]

The language sounds fishy. It not only sounds like someone for whom english is not their native language, but who doesn’t really understand horses.

[MidnightWriter]

I used yahoo! email. It’s free, it’s reliable, I’ve had it way too long to change. Much better than gmail.

As for the e-mail you got, you’re not the first person to post on COTH about such a scam. Mark the one you got spam, and forget about it.

[crosscreeksh]

SCAMMER!!! Don’t answer!!

[Laurierace]

Surprised you haven’t gotten one of those before, they are pretty common. They send you extra money to pay their shipper and by the time your bank figures out the check is bad the “shipper” has your good money. Brings back memories of one of the best threads ever.
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?112247-I-am-now-a-BNT-!!!---A-new-Scammer-page-13&highlight=Tatas

[Frostbitten]

To quote Monty Python “Spam spam spam spam … spam spam spam spam”.

[furlong47]

Very common and the emails are always similar. Yes, just another variation on the typical overpayment scam. The scammers have gotten smart enough to at least attempt to use the right terminology, although as you can see they don’t always hit the mark. Format of the date alone should tell you this comes from overseas.

[LookmaNohands]

Spam Alert!

Ignore him or mess with him. Ask him what color his horse’s eyes are and then tell him you don’t take horses for boarding with those colored eyes.

Or some such.

[copper1]

I get this message from this guy probably at least once a month! Sometimes he wants lessons for his kid instead of board. Good try buddy, go scam someone else!

[Laurierace]

For those of us in the dog business we get emails and sometimes even text message versions of this scam almost daily. The dog’s name is Bella and apparently she gets around!

[Chall]

It can be a way to check if an email address is accurate. Some spam blockers will inform the sender if there is “no such address here”. They may have a delivery or read receipt request on it. Accurate email addresses can be sold to others.

It can be a training program for a BOT. Did the program accurately read your web site well enough to generate an email to which a human responds? Then program is good. If not, program needs adjustments.

What is the country of origin of the email? You would need to read the email “header” and trace the IP addresses back to the first or second IP address. Then plug the address into a geographical ip locator.
You may find its from China or Germany, or a former ussr country.

[vxf111]

[QUOTE=mht;8224658]
He would probably send you payment for an amount greater than what is required, ask you to deposit it, and send him back the overpayment. Then…the payment does not clear, and you get scammed out of the money you sent him.[/QUOTE]

Yes. The oldest trick in the book. It doesn’t matter what you’re selling (an item, the use of a stall, stud fee, etc.) he will take it and send you more than it costs. Just another variation on the nigerian scam.

[PeteyPie]

The only real question here is, do you have any way of treating horses?

[Kwill]

I am fascinated by these things, especially the techniques they use to try to rope you in … mostly they hope you will think they are a naive cash cow and get greedy, I think. For those people who fall for these for that reason, shame on them.

I believe he meant “training” and just didn’t want to bother to proofread the letter. They never seem to want to put much effort into polishing these things, ever. Maybe it’s not necessary? Or maybe he did mean “treating” and is asking for veterinary care?

Interesting he also just wants two months … not sure what kind of a hook that would be, but it probably facilitates him sending money over a set amount, which would not be the case if it was a long term contract. Just another spin on the “shipping” scam, this would be pay more than two months board, or maybe training fees, and you send him back the difference? Who knows. It certainly is a scam, though.

[shakeytails]

Funny thing about sending extra for shipping…

I sold a puppy to a guy a few states away. He called me directly on the phone, spoke American English, told me he doesn’t “do” email, and wanted to send extra for me to pay the ground shipper upon arrival. He’s a dog trainer and told me to take a look at his website. I was more than a little skeptical.

Anyway, he sent me USPS MOs for total, I cashed them before the shipper arrived, and everything worked out just fine.

So a request can be legit, but obviously the OP’s e-mail inquiry is spam.

[offtracked]

You said you don’t advertise, so “saw your advert” was Clue #1.

The email has obvious outright lies and parts don’t make sense. He asks if you “have boarding” about three times, as if it were the first ask.

The clues add up.

[jetsmom]

One of the funniest threads ever on COTH was about scamming the scammer. Something about bodacious tata’s. It was hilarious. Even my dh read the whole thread and found it funny.

[jetsmom]

The thread I referenced is titled "I am now a BNT