We handle quite a bit of e.mail from folks for whom English is not their native tongue. Every so often we’ll get contacted about a really big rush order with very suspect requirements (money held in escrow, pickup via freight liner, etc.) that sets off internal alarms, harkening back to blogs and articles I’ve read that map out exactly how these kinda scams work. Thus far this year we’ve had 5 such e.mails grace our inbox.

The exchange that follows is the most recent of such communiques:

to abbythomas60@gmail.com bcc bandwagon@bandwagonmerch.com date Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 10:49 AM subject Order for 300 t-shirts with screen printing!!!

Hello,

My Name is Abby Thomas,I want to make an order for 300 Yellow t-shirts and i want you to print (I LOVE JAPAN) on it,it will be 2 color at the Front only so it’s a pick up order can you give me the total cost for that and how may weeks will it takes you to get it ready for me and do you accept credit card for the payment cos am ready to make the payment now in full and this order is for the motherless babies home that i am  just helping them to make a donations so a shipper agent company will come for the pick up,and the print will be just 2 color on the front side only and  i want 100 S-XL Shirts and 100 2XL shirts,100 3XL-5XL shirts total of 300 t-shirts,and this is Pick up Order so let me know if you can make the for me and what is the grand total of everything plus tax..i want something like this on the Attachment let me know if you can Handle this for me.

Thanks,

Abby Thomas.

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to abbythomas60@gmail.com bcc bandwagon@bandwagonmerch.com date Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 11:20 AM subject Order for 300 t-shirts with screen printing!!!

Abby,

Please send over your exact sizecount and the following information:

Customer Name
Billing Address
Shipping Address
Mother’s Maiden Name
Last 4 digits of your SS#
at least 4 baby pictures of you
a copy of your highschool transcript
Credit Card #
Bank Account #
Password to your e.mail address

Thank you,
-Ryan

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to abbythomas60@gmail.com bcc bandwagon@bandwagonmerch.com date Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 12:20 PM subject Order for 300 t-shirts with screen printing!!!

Hello,
Thanks so much for the mail,and the  t-shirts i want the color to be Yellow I will like to know if you can make this Ready for my and i with to have the grand total cost of everything now with the tax so that i can make the payment with my Credit card and i want you to know that i have hearing impaired and i need this order for the motherless babies home that i am  just helping them to make a donations and i will need your full name and address phone number and cell phone as well so let me have the total of everything now and how many weeks will it takes you to make this ready for pick?
Thanks,

Abby Thomas

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to abbythomas60@gmail.com bcc bandwagon@bandwagonmerch.com date Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 12:22 PM subject Order for 300 t-shirts with screen printing!!!

Abby,

Please send me your phone #. We can only complete things like this over the phone.

-Ryan

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to abbythomas60@gmail.com bcc bandwagon@bandwagonmerch.com date Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 12:27 PM subject Order for 300 t-shirts with screen printing!!!

i have haring problem that is why am sending you an mail,so let me have the total price.?

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to abbythomas60@gmail.com bcc bandwagon@bandwagonmerch.com date Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 12:45 PM subject Order for 300 t-shirts with screen printing!!!

I as well have been having problems with hares and jackrabbits. My mom also refers to it as a “haring problem”. Please send your phone #.

-Ryan

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At this point the conversation ceased. Most of these scams involve purchasing of blank shirts with a next day air shipment to be paid for with a stolen credit card. This would-be thief decided to capitalize on the goodwill of others in hopes to unload these so shortly after the literal wave of devastation that has hit Japan.

Further research (err… google search for attached e.mail) leads one to this fine article in which our very same Abby Thomas was sending messages to food establishments in hopes to get enough chicken and beef shawarma to feed 150 people.

A screenshot account of said conversation can be found here.