Lesson program scam?

[gahorseygal]

I’m curious if anyone else that teaches lesson has received scam like emails or texts? I just can’t figure out the angle behind it. Here is the email I received, with name removed to just first letters:

“Hello, I’m Mr S D I’ll will like to know if you are available for horseback riding lessons? Kindly get back to me asap”

Seemed odd with the wording, but I responded with some open lesson times I had. Maybe an hour later I received this text:

“Hello, I’m Mr S D I’ll will like to know if you are available for horseback riding lessons? Kindly get back to me asap”

The first letter of the first and last name are the same, however they are different names. Here is the follow up email I received from the first guy:

“Thanks for the response, I will like to make an appointment for my kids, I want them to train for two months twice a week 1hr daily. Let me know how much this would cost and I want you to schedule the best days and time that would work fine for you”

I have not responded further. I’m not sure how someone could scam a lesson program, but these emails and the text set all sorts of alarm bells off.

I’m curious if anyone else has run into anything like this? We have all of our stuff locked up, but I’m worried about my horses safety as there is not much we can do there.

[trubandloki]

It will likely then move to them having to over pay you and you give some of the money back via money order to some other place. Then that payment that turns out to be fake and you are out the money you sent to wherever via money order or western union.

[HereComesZach]

@trubandloki

It will likely then move to them having to over pay you and you give some of the money back via money order to some other place. Then that payment that turns out to be fake and you are out the money you sent to wherever via money order or western union.

Yep, it’s usually that, they’ll offer to pay you for the package, then “accidentally” overpay, and then when you go to “repay” them the balance, they take your money, as well as the original amount they sent.

[Moon_River]

It’s a scam, you get it for lessons, board, horse sales… All involve a reason why the scammer is going to send you a check, the figure will then be wrong and they will ask you to send money back to them, which of course turns out to be your money as the check will be a dud

[gahorseygal]

Thank you all! This was my first thought (some sort of money scam)- but was really surprised to be contacted for my riding program.

[Scribbler]

@gahorseygal

Thank you all! This was my first thought (some sort of money scam)- but was really surprised to be contacted for my riding program.

These scams are typically generated overseas, so you don’t need to worry about physical thefts.

I think the scammers have moved onto targeting very small business and even individual Craigslist sellers of all description, hoping to land a naive target. They will offer something that is plausible enough to hook in a seller who needs business like a two month intensive riding lesson program.

Because of the strong value of the American dollar, compared to currency in developing nations, if they make a profit of say US$ 1,000 on a scam that’s a huge payout.

It’s a version of the Exiled Nigerian Prince scam.

Indeed Nigeria was a hotbed of this for a long time. Apparently Nigeria was doing quite well for a while and able to develop a bit of an educated middle class that had English language and computer skills. Then the economy tanked and people were desperate.

[Mango20]

We occasionally get suspicious emails to our Pony Club’s email address. They’re always close enough that they possibly could be for real, maybe from a parent who is a non-native speaker, but always seem a little off. I always give them a real response. Since pony club doesn’t operate like a lesson stable, in most cases, I never get a follow-up email so I never know if it was a scam or a real inquiry.

Here’s my most recent one. I directed him to some nearby pony club riding centers in case it’s for real:

Good afternoon,

I found a link to your center via the ponyclub website. My daughter is interested in learning to ride horses. When I clicked on your link it was not clear what the criteria is for membership and potential schedule for someone interested in learning to ride.

If I have overlooked this information, would you kindly redirect me to the correct location?

thanks,

Don Frazier

[walktrot]

Definitely a scam. The first clue is that they don’t speak standard English. “I will like to know…” ??? This stuff has been wandering around for decades. Don’t click on anything. These are the scams that will send you a check that looks like a legitimate bank-issued check. You deposit it into your checking account and the funds become available in a few days. Some of them send too much money and ask you to send the excess to their account somewhere. Your bank will notify you a week or two later the check is a forgery and it bounced. If you sent the excess to the scammer’s bank, by the time the check is refused the scammer and your money are long gone. You owe your bank money.

I hung onto this one from 2011 because it makes me laugh. I saved the file as “Nigerian scam.”

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Dear Sir/Madam,

I am Dewitt Afuze the attorney to Chief James O. Ibori (former Governor of the Richest State in Nigerian for 8years, i am looking for your cooperation in building a Tourist Hotel or Real Estate in your country with my client funds that is deposited abroad in a Trust Account because i cannot be in charge of the funds myself as the attorney in charge, i have the power as the attorney in charge to make you the new heir to the funds with the consent of my client (Chief James O. Ibori).

I am sorry if this is not in line with your profession. My client Chief James O. Ibori was arrested by the Interpol in
Dubai for Money Laundering recently.

Please click for your perusal…

---

I need an experienced person like you to assist me to set up, develop the project and assume responsibility of ownership as chairman but will be bringing in profit/distribute profit monthly or annually.

Kindly e-mail me and I shall give you more information.

Regards,

[Scribbler]

@walktrot

Definitely a scam. The first clue is that they don’t speak standard English. “I will like to know…” ??? This stuff has been wandering around for decades. Don’t click on anything. These are the scams that will send you a check that looks like a legitimate bank-issued check. You deposit it into your checking account and the funds become available in a few days. Some of them send too much money and ask you to send the excess to their account somewhere. Your bank will notify you a week or two later the check is a forgery and it bounced. If you sent the excess to the scammer’s bank, by the time the check is refused the scammer and your money are long gone. You owe your bank money.

I hung onto this one from 2011 because it makes me laugh. I saved the file as “Nigerian scam.”

---

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am Dewitt Afuze the attorney to Chief James O. Ibori (former Governor of the Richest State in Nigerian for 8years, i am looking for your cooperation in building a Tourist Hotel or Real Estate in your country with my client funds that is deposited abroad in a Trust Account because i cannot be in charge of the funds myself as the attorney in charge, i have the power as the attorney in charge to make you the new heir to the funds with the consent of my client (Chief James O. Ibori).

I am sorry if this is not in line with your profession. My client Chief James O. Ibori was arrested by the Interpol in
Dubai for Money Laundering recently.

Please click for your perusal…

---

I need an experienced person like you to assist me to set up, develop the project and assume responsibility of ownership as chairman but will be bringing in profit/distribute profit monthly or annually.

Kindly e-mail me and I shall give you more information.

Regards,

This is actually very clever. I mean, if you see through it, it’s laughable. But it’s also clever because it appeals to the secret greed and criminality of some normal American doofus or mark. I think these scams work when they find targets who think: here is a really inept criminal, I think I can con him out of money and not get caught. Of course that means that the mark doesn’t seek advice or let anyone know what they are up to as they lose more and more money.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/05/15/the-perfect-mark/amp

[demidq]

I think there was a thread on this a few years ago, with a string of correspondence that got more and more bizarre and funny.

[walktrot]

Simkie, thanks for chiming in! I’d hate to think I ignored an opportunity to get rich in a real estate deal. :lol:

[Scribbler]

@demidq

I think there was a thread on this a few years ago, with a string of correspondence that got more and more bizarre and funny.

Yes, you can find online where people have tried to hoax the fraudsters or keep the conversation going into absurdity!

[ladyj79]

@demidq

I think there was a thread on this a few years ago, with a string of correspondence that got more and more bizarre and funny.

I had one lovely afternoon when I should have been grading papers but instead I spent messaging about a $500 friesian, that I definitely couldnt go see, or have anyone else look at or pick up, but I could just wire them the money and they would put the horse on the train and send it to my nearest train station 😂😂😂😂

[skydy]

Here is the infamous Bodacious TaTa scam thread. It’s very funny. https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/off-course/8248-i-am-now-a-bnt-a-new-scammer-page-13

[OverandOnward]

Something everyone should know: It is possible for a cashier’s check to bounce. And it is likely to take days, even a week or more, for your bank where you deposited it to discover that. And reverse the amount that was deposited into your account.

Many of these scams that wend their way through to an actual payment work because the target thinks they are the ones getting the funds. And they believe a cashier’s check is the same as cash, so they are safe. So they turn over the purchased goods, which vanish in a cloud of shipper’s dust.

How that works in the ‘lesson’ scam I don’t know, but it’s a scam.

[OverandOnward]

When they start suggesting things that are implausible or unlikely, or just very expensive for them but their tone is one that expense doesn’t matter – most likely , a scam.

I was used trailer shopping a few years ago, scanning the online horsey classifieds, and saw what looked like the perfect trailer at a good price. I contacted the seller and was ready to drive straight over (seemed to be about 50 miles away but exact location not given in ad). After some back & forth dithering, the seller said that the trailer was actually in Florida. But no worries! They would ship it to Texas for me to look at, and if I didn’t want it, there would be no cost to me, no harm no foul.

My eyeballs spun around a couple of times while reading that message. I pointed out to the seller that the cost of shipping alone was likely to be more than the value of the trailer. Airy wave of hand was the tone of the reply. A load of trailers was shipping over anyway. But, I asked, why were they advertising a desirable trailer so far from where the trailer was located? Another verbal airy wave.

I stopped communicating because none of it made sense. Did find out later that there are scams like that, money would be asked for at some point.

But for that few weeks it was the only trailer like it being offered in this area. I kept checking, the ad was still up. At some point I realized that that ad was never, ever coming down, because the trailer was not really for sale – probably didn’t actually even exist, probably they were just using some photo off the internet.

[Scribbler]

@OverandOnward

Something everyone should know: It is possible for a cashier’s check to bounce. And it is likely to take days, even a week or more, for your bank where you deposited it to discover that. And reverse the amount that was deposited into your account.

Many of these scams that wend their way through to an actual payment work because the target thinks they are the ones getting the funds. And they believe a cashier’s check is the same as cash, so they are safe. So they turn over the purchased goods, which vanish in a cloud of shipper’s dust.

How that works in the ‘lesson’ scam I don’t know, but it’s a scam.

It’s probably the over payment/ cashier check scam.

Your bill is $2000. They “accidentally” send you $3000 in a cashier’s check and ask you to refund them $1000 after you deposit the check.

You do this. Then a couple of weeks later the cashier check turns out to be fraudulent but your refund to the scammer is long gone. So you are out $1000. Which is a lot of money in Nigeria or wherever, and not peanuts to the average small lesson program either

”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹

[gottagrey]

Definitely a scam. I used to book riding tours to Ireland and I’d get these I want to board my 2 fabulously expensive horses at your facility - note they never asked where I was located, how much the board was any general questions. Or I’d also get a scam “hotel booking” where theyd want to experience the best riding and jumping ever, and of course would say they were sending me several thousands over the cost of the trip. Sad thing was I had this Japanese guy who wanted to book a trip - they were traveling from Japan. I initially though whew boy another scam. Turns out they were the nicest fellows and the folks in Ireland had a great time hosting them. So you never know, but more often than not it’s a scam

[demidq]

I was selling a trailer a few years ago, and was contacted by THREE different scammers within one week. First one was almost believable, British couple moving to Canada, just what they wanted etc until the Cashier cheque over payment part. The second wanted me to ship a second hand used steel trailer for them from Canada to Australia. Their agent would be contacting me. The third was a US service woman posted overseas, wanted to buy trailer but couldn’t arrange it herself- her agent would be in touch.
OverandOnward- that’s the thread I remembered. Thanks for the link!

[Goforward]

I had one happen the same way three times, each a month apart, until I clued in and blocked the number.
My cell phone would ring, I’d answer, no one would speak on the other end. As soon as I hung up a text would come through, “Do you give lessons on school horses?”
After I’d answer I’d get a few scam texts from other numbers.
I think they were just verifying there was someone to scam on the other end by asking about lessons.