Whoohoo!!! I feel like I've finally arrived today! I started work by checking my email, and guess what was there? The letter began:

My first scam email!!!

Yet, as I look more closely, I see that it was sent to someone else...I must have been a bcc. But I'm not going to let that spoil my celebration!

Ok, it's a funny email, but why would you call it a "scam"?

I think photographers are too quick to jump on the "scam" bandwagon when they mean they've gotten an email that is funny or odd or ignorant.

Unless it's attempting to swindle or defraud you, it's not a scam.

karen

My bet, is that if he had responded and tried to book this client, it would turn into something like "I'll send you a check for more than the amount, could you please pass some of the money on to my personal planner at this address......"

Who knows, but that's my hunch which would have turned it into a scam.

was Claire Dancy a scam? just wondering.

LOL! Love it!

Chris said exactly what I would say. If you search OSP, you'll find others who have posted similar messages, some who followed through to find out the venue address was a warehouse.

Red flags in my email:
1. How many Jeff Johnsons are there in Alabama who write English as though it was their second language? "Awaiting your soonest mail today." and "It will be hurry time next year on 25th of Jan 2008 at my son 18th birthday." PPA says this scam is related to the "Nigerian Scam," and usually originates in another country.

2. He typed the zip code wrong....just a transposition, but with everything else, it sends up a red flag.

3. The area code for the phone # is in D.C., but the address is in Birmingham.

4. The email was sent to another photography studio....I was a bcc. This person is contacting multiple photographers, yet the email reads as though I am the photographer he wants.

5. If someone really wanted to hire me to fly across the country, I'd expect something along the lines of "I'm the brother of (past client)..." or "I ran across your website and I love your work...." Beginning the email with, "Good day to you and how was your work ?please can you kindly tell me if you'll be chanced in coming to my house...." sounds really suspicious.

Here's the link to the PPA's report on this type of scam.

jaw dropped

LOL

picking allison's chin up

No one wants to discriminate against people who don't speak english as their first language, but I'll be the first to admit that when I see an email with english that bad I nearly ALWAYS think "scam." Which probably really sucks for people who don't speak english well but who are legitimately looking for a photographer.

Wowza!

Oh snap!