Master Chief Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Here is another good scam from or friendly money man. Have received a mail with the following: Hello, I am Edmond Woods of Virgin Travel Agency,SCOTLAND.I need to make reservation for Two (2) of my client coming from London . Arrival Date : 4th Feb,2008 Departure Date :19th Feb,2008 Number Of Rooms:2 ensuites (each for single occupancy) Length of Stay:15 Nights. Get back to me with the TOTAL COST (INCLUDING APPLICABLE TAXES)if the dates mentioned above are free,so that we can confirm reservations immediately with credit card.Your prompt response will be appreciated. Regards, Edmond Woods. Virgin Travel Agency 126 Corstorphine Road EH12 6UD Edinburgh +447031832502 Warning warning. Here is how they do the scam, you read the mail and of course the lenght of stay 15 days will give your biz a good cash income. You contact the sender and he will reply you that he is interested and he will send you money to your bank with his creditcard. He gets your account number and realy transfers the funds for the stay. You get an confirmation that the money is in your account by your bank, all well, but then he calls in to say that he has changed his travel and is not able to come, please reyurn the funds recieved to your bank with Western Union to him, you are told that you can keep some cash for the trouble and you transfer. Then you get a call from the bank that his creditcard transfer is not valid, well, he can and has already stopped his transfer, but your WU transfer cannot be stopped as he really will receive the funds, cash in hand. You just lost a great deal! I have not been there, but a good friend of mine did so. Brgs, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oleg_Rus Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Is it a scam? It's just nice scottish Xmas prank, not more.... 15days will give good porfit ? Not less it's a one-man agency in remote province of North, you can't call it a profit per se. rubbish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 i used to receive a couple of these every day when i was working in reservations. the telltale signs are: multiple rooms usually 10 or 15 nights (multiples of 5 for some reason) usually from an email address NOT from the agency referred to in the email bad spelling and/or punctuation the words 'get back to me.....' the words 'all applicable taxes.....' depending on my mood (and if i had time to waste), i would sometimes write back to them and play the game before telling them that i had reported them to the authorities in whatever country they are from, or just give them a bit of abuse. such emails should be deleted immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I've had quite a few emails from the CEO of Wood Travel, UK Ltd, over the past few months trying to reserve rooms for X number of delegates for X number of days. I was wondering what this was all about. I guessed it was a scam and did not bother to reply. Good to know what this all about. Thanks .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Chief Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 Well Donna, you got the picture! Not as the two italien pizza guys in Patong who went out in the Gazette a couple of year ago, that they had been scammed by the black brick money scam, that is one great scam to step into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinLOS Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 please explain how someone can deposit money in my bank account by credit card ?? Would be really handy for a project I am doing, yet not possible without a merchant account ?? Secondly anyone sending money back via western union after being paid by credit card into a merchant account (my last one was a 90 day clearing process) is dumber than a bag of hammers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 the credit card number is given to the hotel and they (the hotel) then take it out manually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Chief Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 please explain how someone can deposit money in my bank account by credit card ?? Would be really handy for a project I am doing, yet not possible without a merchant account ?? Secondly anyone sending money back via western union after being paid by credit card into a merchant account (my last one was a 90 day clearing process) is dumber than a bag of hammers. "dumber than a bag of hammers." Just read the material of some of the posters in this forum and you have your potential "bag of hammers" (will sure get hammered for that comment) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Chief Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 Another friend of mine accepted an foriegn bank check as a downpayment for a job to be commenced at once, it took him 8 weeks to clear that check with a Thai bank, nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onethailand Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Nasty. If any of you still have (or get) an email like this, could you PM me as I would like to see a sample? TIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Nasty. If any of you still have (or get) an email like this, could you PM me as I would like to see a sample?TIA. Already PMed you a sample.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_Pat_Pong Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 They just never stop trying do they ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onethailand Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Nasty. If any of you still have (or get) an email like this, could you PM me as I would like to see a sample?TIA. Already PMed you a sample.... Thanks - responded to your PM. I'd like to find out what identifiers the email has and where it is coming from - but obviously the poor use of English should be an early indicator, besides the fact that no respectable travel agent would contact someone out of the blue like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Not so sure that I agree with the OP reasoning behind this possible scam. I doubt that any hotel or guesthouse would refund any money on a cancelled booking, and for sure would not refund anything until funds had cleared into their bank. My opinion is that it's more likely a lure to gain credit card details, and then charge items to that credit card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farma Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 There was a similar scam along the same lines a month ago. The thread shows a couple more emails. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=150828 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onethailand Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 (edited) Not so sure that I agree with the OP reasoning behind this possible scam.I doubt that any hotel or guesthouse would refund any money on a cancelled booking, and for sure would not refund anything until funds had cleared into their bank. My opinion is that it's more likely a lure to gain credit card details, and then charge items to that credit card. Got your email, thanks - unfortunately the email headers somehow got lost so no way to trace which country or ISP the email came from. Thanks for the effort in any case. Hotels can and will refund cancellations if they are far enough in advance. Plus, notice that the sender has not asked for your credit card details, but is providing "his" instead. I'm more inclined to believe that an email like this has two possibilities - either they are using a fraudulent credit card, or that indeed they are looking to scam some unsuspecting person with a scheme similar to what the OP proposed. I agree with you that doing a refund by Western Union is idiotic. Any real merchant would automatically refund the credit card charge instead. This is a poorly-conceived scam, but I bet they still make money. Thanks for the link, Farma. The key in that instance is the last room occupant - I'd bet on a fraudulent credit card there. Also, any travel agent knows that the CC holder is supposed to be the FIRST room occupant. Edited November 27, 2007 by onethailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenl Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 I also receive a couple of these every day. Another tell tale sign is the mention of credit card payment up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keestha Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 For a long time I have been receiving these fraudulent booking enquiries regularly. Bad grammar written by someone assuming a typical Anglosaxon name like George Woods makes them easy to recognize. But I am sorry for the Thai owners of small and middle sized hotels who will often be unable to recognize the bad grammar, and might fall for this scam. Without being stupid they also might not know that repayment by Western Union is an absurdity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 My opinion is that it's more likely a lure to gain credit card details, and then charge items to that credit card. Perhaps I should explain my thinking. I meant to say that the 'so called' customer would request details about the hotels credit card account, in order to make the 'payment', thus gaining information which might be used to make fradulant charges against the hotel's account. Just my guess as I know nothing about how these credit charge scams work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 (edited) After a short search on the net I found this reply from Mr Woods of Virgin Travel, Edinburgh. This gives an illuminating insight into the 'real' scam. You can read the full report at http://www.pillowsandpancakes.com/sw/phpBB...e264e62b8bf9f02 From: Edmond Woods [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 8:41 AM To: Subject: PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS Hello Shevon, Thank you for your update and assistance so far and please pardon my late revert. I just got off phone with my clients some few minutes ago and we have concluded arrangement with the delegates to confirm booking for the accomodation and to proceed with other arrangement. The Names of my Clients are: 1: Dr Fred Britt Age:42 Yrs 2: Dr Stephen Clinton Age:46 Yrs However,we did make an arrangement with a pre-paid transport agent in charge of transportation & other logistics,but because they do not have CREDIT FACILITY to process our card and for the security of the card,we have decided that only YOU will have to charge the Visa account information to enable the transport agent arrange for us vehicles and other logistics.So,we are going to send you the visa Account Information that will cover the cost of the accomodation and the necessary transport arrangment for the delegates. Our Agency makes a 100% prepayment to hold all reservation.Once you are in receipt of our credit card,VIRGIN TRAVEL AGENCY WILL AUTHORIZE YOU TO CHARGE OUT the total cost of $15000 to your account.Deduct your TOTAL services charge of $7000 and please send $8000 via Western Union Money Transfer to the car hiring agent whose information will be forwarded to you once this is CONFIRMED. So confirm this and provide me with your (1) YOUR FULLNAME (2) ADDRESS (3)PHONE NUMBERS for office records. Hope this Favour do not inconvinence you. Please remember that the integrity of our agency is involved, so this business requires prompt response.I also hope the stay of the delegates will be made comfortable. Thanks for your co-operation Best Regards, Edmond Woods. Virgin Travel Agency 126 Corstorphine Road EH12 6UD Edinburgh +447031832502 Edited November 27, 2007 by LivinginKata Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smartecosse Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 the address is annoying me now had 98 st johns roads for quite a few years and can't remember what 126 is It is in a row of shops as far as I can remember so at least they seem to do a bit more homework than the "i used to work in a bank" brigade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 oh yeah, the other dead give away is the use of the word 'delegates' and the guests having titles such as Dr, Father, etc. other times, they want you to purchase mobile phones for them in advance, send them over to them, and then get them to reimburse the money to you. really. if someone is that silly, they deserve to be scammed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon43 Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 Well, I don't know what all the fuss is about. For the past 3 weeks my hotel has accomodated 5 born-again Christians on a mission from God and 3 Drs who are attending a syphalis conference. All seemed ok and now that they have all left, I'm just waiting on their credit-card payment to clear... Simon PS - This wine is very good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merijn Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 From: Edmond Woods [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 8:41 AM To: Subject: PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS Hello Shevon, Thank you for your update and assistance so far and please pardon my late revert. I just got off phone with my clients some few minutes ago and we have concluded arrangement with the delegates to confirm booking for the accomodation and to proceed with other arrangement. The Names of my Clients are: 1: Dr Fred Britt Age:42 Yrs 2: Dr Stephen Clinton Age:46 Yrs However,we did make an arrangement with a pre-paid transport agent in charge of transportation & other logistics,but because they do not have CREDIT FACILITY to process our card and for the security of the card,we have decided that only YOU will have to charge the Visa account information to enable the transport agent arrange for us vehicles and other logistics.So,we are going to send you the visa Account Information that will cover the cost of the accomodation and the necessary transport arrangment for the delegates. Our Agency makes a 100% prepayment to hold all reservation.Once you are in receipt of our credit card,VIRGIN TRAVEL AGENCY WILL AUTHORIZE YOU TO CHARGE OUT the total cost of $15000 to your account.Deduct your TOTAL services charge of $7000 and please send $8000 via Western Union Money Transfer to the car hiring agent whose information will be forwarded to you once this is CONFIRMED. So confirm this and provide me with your (1) YOUR FULLNAME (2) ADDRESS (3)PHONE NUMBERS for office records. Hope this Favour do not inconvinence you. Please remember that the integrity of our agency is involved, so this business requires prompt response.I also hope the stay of the delegates will be made comfortable. Thanks for your co-operation Best Regards, Edmond Woods. Virgin Travel Agency 126 Corstorphine Road ------------------------------------ I received the same exact e-mail at my reservation department. I trained all my staff in how an fake or spam reservation looks like. So in the end the spam helped my business after all LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
.thumb.jpg.bc523c85a8d558dbc282dca7a2e602c9.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now