I'm positive someone just attempted to scam me.
I have no doubt that had this gone through, I would have been out money and snakes, and the snakes would have wound up dead.
My suspicion is that the individual uses different names and different e-mail addresses, and this is probably a ring of people.
I will post all e-mails that took place both directions in the hopes that other people will see the kind tactics used and can smell out the scam when it is tried on them. I'm also posting in the off chance the scammer is using the same e-mail address and/or name in other current attempts.
The snakes I have for sale are typical banded phenotype Cal Kings. I know what they are worth on the market and it is isn't much - but the value of the animals doesn't matter that much for the scammer, that's not where the scam takes place.
His e-mails will be in bold, my replies in italics, comments in normal text.
-=-
From: don fentie <donofen@yahoo.com>
To: mpeters@mac.com
Subject: order request
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:58:31 -0700 (PDT)
att:Michael Peters
i am interested in purchasing some of your californa kingsnakes
how many do you have available?
i will be shipping to canada, bc.
and i shall pay via cheque.
kindly copy me with copies of the health papers if available.
your quick respond is very important.
regrads
don fentie
From: Michael A Peters <mpeters@mac.com>
To: don fentie <donofen@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: order request
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2007 16:34:16 -0700
The clutch is viewable here:
http://www.temptingevereptiles.com/g...p?g2_itemId=71
11 total in clutch, 3 are not available - so 8 are available. The ones
labeled "Not Yet Available" are listed as such only because they are not
consistently feeding on frozen pinks yet, but they are feeding. They
will be feeding on f/t soon, however.
I do not have any health papers for them. I will ask my vet how much an
exam and health certificate would cost. I think the certificate is $10
per animal plus examination fee, they could probably be examined
together for reduced exam fee.
I have not shipped to Canada before, I need to look into what is
required for me to do it.
Take care,
Michael Peters
From: don fentie <donofen@yahoo.com>
To: Michael A Peters <mpeters@mac.com>
Subject: Re: order request
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:52:05 -0700 (PDT)
att:petter
how are you doing today thank you so much
for your quick respond.
what is the total cost of the 8 that are available
do not bother about shipment i have a shipping angent that
will do that for me.
pls check te cost for the health papers and the examination
for the available 8 so i can start making arrangment for
the payment your quick respond is very important.
regards
don fenties
I replied twice. I already had started to smell something fishy. I googled his name and the word "reptiles" then "snakes" and found nothing - no indication that anyone by the name was involved in the reptile hobby in Canada or anywhere else. I googled his e-mail address and got nothing. I searched his e-mail here and got nothing. I did however give him the benefit of the doubt at this point and contacted him twice more in reply to that message:
From: Michael A Peters <mpeters@mac.com>
To: don fentie <donofen@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: order request
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2007 23:39:57 -0700
The cost of the 8 snakes would be $150 ($20 each - less $10 for big
order) plus whatever the vet wanted for health certificates. I will find
that out in the morning and let you know as soon as I find out.
Will I need to ship them to your shipping agent? If so I'll need to know
his zip code so I find out how much that costs.
Thanks,
Michael
second reply -
From: Michael A Peters <mpeters@mac.com>
To: don fentie <donofen@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: order request
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 12:38:20 -0700
Hi Don -
The vet exam (for all 8 snakes) will cost $40 and the certificates are
$10 per snake, so the total for vet exam is $40 + 8*$10 = $120
The cost for the 8 snakes is $150
The total cost will be $270 plus whatever shipping is necessary to get
them to your agent.
Thanks,
Michael A. Peters
His reply - and the revelation of the scam:
From: don fentie <donofen@yahoo.com>
To: Michael A Peters <mpeters@mac.com>
Subject: Re: order request
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:19:14 -0700 (PDT)
Thank you so much for your quick respond,
you do not need to ship to my
agent the agent will come and pick them up at your
from you.
I shall arrange payment through my client in usa
pls copy me with your full name and address
as you want it to appear on the cheque
the payment will include the shipment cost.
All you need do is to deduct your payment and handover
the shipping cost to the shipping agent at the time of
pick up.
Hope to hear from you soon.
regards
don fentie
At this point I called my local police department and asked if they wanted to do a sting. I knew what the deal was - I end up with fraudulent check but have given good funds to his "agent" and the snakes probably end up dead.
While waiting to hear back from a police detective I sent this message:
From: Michael A Peters <mpeters@mac.com>
To: don fentie <donofen@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: order request
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:35:47 -0700
Hi Don,
I made an appointment at the vet, but I'm a little confused.
You are going to mail me the cheque, or is your agent is going to bring
it?
Is there a way I can contact your agent to arrange a date and time?
The police detective called me and told me this kind of thing is common but they did not have the manpower to do the sting, so even though he would love to take a perp off the street, he suggested I tell the guy I wanted nothing to do with him.
Here is the next e-mail from "Don" and my response -
From: don fentie <donofen@yahoo.com>
To: Michael A Peters <mpeters@mac.com>
Subject: Re: order request
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:45:59 -0700 (PDT)
att:micheal
what i said in my previous mail was that i am going to make my payment through
my client in usa, he will mail out the cheque to you as soon as i have your full
name and contact address.
the cheque carries the total amount for the snakes i am buying from you and the
shipping cost, you deduct the cost of the snakes and hold the remaining for the shipping
agent.
you tell me when it will be ok for you for the agent to come and do the pick up..
you only pay the shipping agent when they come for the pick up unless i tell you
otherwise.
i hope you can understand me now.
i need you contact address so the payment can be mailed out to you assp
your quick respond is important.
regards
don fentie
From: Michael A Peters <mpeters@mac.com>
To: don fentie <donofen@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: order request
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 01:22:02 -0700
This really smells like scam.
I get fraudulent check and give good funds to this "agent" person. I
wasn't born yesterday and I have to trust my instinct.
In the highly unlikely event this is not a scam, there are plenty of
other kingsnake breeders with plenty of babies, use one of them. I won't
sell to you.
Goodbye.
-=-
Some things to note -
1) No business name I could verify with anyone
2) No website
3) No phone number offered
4) Name doesn't seem to associated with reptiles anywhere on the web
5) e-mail address does not seem to be associated with anything anywhere on the web
6) He asked me to pay his "agent" which is his job, not mine
7) No "agent" is going to drive to redding to pick up low value snakes that could be shipped anywhere in the US very cheaply.
8) Virtually every message emphasized quick response from me
9) Very poorly written messages - I assumed maybe he was French Canadian, but often scammers do not have good English skills.
-=-
If anyone wants to send this guy an e-mail letting him know of this thread, feel free to do so. I haven't - I don't know where he found me, but I advertised in four places. If he doesn't know of this site, I would rather he not use this place as hunting ground. But if someone feels he should know about this thread, fair enough. I just won't be the one to do it.
Note that no transaction took place.