Watch out for this scam

I have been advertising on the internet so I thought I had a chance at a big job when someone contacted me about fixing a number of computers.

The e-mail came from someone called Zoran Radusinovic and he first wanted the know if I could fix computers in volume. I replied yes I could, and asked for some details.

I received a reply giving a specification, basically asking to wipe 10 DELL laptops, put some software on them and clean them up. In my reply I gave a quote but asked if he had all the licenses for the OS and the other software he wanted installed.

His next reply fired up my spidersense as he wanted my address and phone number and went on about sending me a "check" and "shipping" the laptops to me. I live in the UK so I was suspicious that someone was sending me some laptops from abroad and wondered why they could not get someone more local to do the job. I queried him about this, asking if he was in the UK and he said he was American British doing a contract and needed a subcontractor to do this job, and that he would mail a cheque out to me for full payment of the work, and the laptops would be sent to me at his expense. This I thought a little strange as I would have asked for half upfront and the rest after the job, not all upfront. I gave him my contact details anyway, which is no great deal as this information is available on my website.

My next e-mail to him specified a time scale for the job and I asked him how he had found me to do the job. I had just started using Google Adwords and wanted to know if this advertising had worked already. I normally get work through recommendations.

The final e-mail I received fired off the alarm bells AWOOGA! AWOOGA! He wanted to send me a "check" for the job and the "shipping" and I was to pay the shipper's money from this cheque through Western Union: which as we all know is how scammers get their money without being traced.

I sent a reply saying I did not want any further contact, and that I would tear up any cheque that he sent me and that I would call the police if any laptops landed on my doorstep or if he used my contact details in anyway.

This is how I think the scam works:

1. The cheque is a dud. They get you to pay the "shipper" i.e. them; some money before the cheque clears so you loose out paying to get some nonexistant laptops sent to you.

2. The cheque is stolen. They get you to pay the "shipper" i.e. them; however these laptops do arrive but are no doubt stolen, so when you have done the job they get you to send them on to someone else and so you are effectively handling stolen goods, and when the banks chase you up over the cheque you get done for fraud aswell.

I have learnt from this experience. At no time did I get a proper name, address or contact number from Zoran. He signed his e-mails with the name Bill, except for the last one when he was again called Zoran. I looked up his name on the internet and got the name of an actor but then again he could have had the same name as a famous person. His e-mail address was with rediffmail.com which might indicate he is in the US or India but frankly he could be anywhere.

The moral of the story is be wary of any contact via the internet.