First of Nine: Tensegrity Blog
Portland, Oregon's Cancer Survivorship and Bodywork Zine by Compassion Arts PDX, LLC
The anatomy of a massage scam
When you’ve been in the bodywork game for a wee bit and you’ve begun to make your presence known on the Internets (it’s a series of tubes, ya know?), sometimes interesting e-mails find their way into your in-box. I received one just this morning.
The typical massage scam consists of an oddly worded inquiry; a request for your services. At first, it may seem like an exciting opportunity to get some good business. We’ve all had a struggling practice at one point or another. Maybe it’s a real opportunity. I assure you, it’s not real.
Screen capture from the iPad 2 of the average massage phishing scam.
First of Nine breaks down the anatomy of the massage scam.
Appointment Date Inquiry
Hello,
It’s not addressed to you specifically. No big deal. Seems normal enough.
I hope this mail met you in good condition; I am Dr. Fredrick Brooke, the director of Staff welfare, Ancient Greek Theatre.
Warning number one: Note the odd use of capitalization… the director of Staff welfare. Plus, an organization name that is rather generic. Most businesses like to have a unique name, so they can be looked up with ease. Try googling “Ancient Greek Theatre” and you’ll get thousands upon thousands of hits unrelated to any type of business.
I will like to make inquiries and availability on your services for April 25th, 26th, 27th 2012.
Warning number two: “inquiries and availability on your services”. Well, who talks like that? Peculiar sentence structure is a hallmark of massage scams.
Warning number three: A request for services on multiple dates, sometimes as many as 7-10 days. That would be a lot of massage!
Some of my delegates would be coming for treatments on sessions. Kindly send me your treatment menu or your catalogue for them to choose which of your services is preferred.
Warning number four: More oddly worded requests. “coming for treatments on sessions”? Really? No one types like that!
Also I will like to know the number of person that can receive treatment per day and also to confirm your best time.
Warning number five: My massage website in Portland, Oregon, Transcending Touch, makes no implication that my business is anything more than a single person operation. Just more oddly worded requests for information.
Likewise, I want you to know my term of payment is via credit card to cover their treatment.
Warning number six: “my term of payment is via credit card”? No one making an actual request puts words together in this way. Awkward!
I will appreciate it if you can get back to me in time with substantial Information regarding my request by attaching or sending me the spa menu along with mode of payments.. Kindly confirm as per above
Warning number seven: “substantial Information”? More strangely out of place capitalizations of words. “spa menu”? Try asking that of a spa and not a single private practitioner. “Mode of payments”? More silly phrasing.
And, here’s their closing signature… Warnings number eight, nine, ten and eleven:
Fredrick Brooke
Director of Staff welfare (more odd capitalization)
Ancient Greek Theatre (generic business name)
40 Wyndham Crescent
Canton, Cardiff
CF11 9EH
(googling the out of country address finds a different business)
Email: lordfredb2@cafuc.net (googling the email finds a known spammer IP address.)
I created my first Portland, Oregon massage therapy and bodywork website, www.transcendingtouch.com back in 2004. I used to spend hours on search engine optimization (SEO) to get top ranking. I’ve had over 150,000 unique visitors through the years. With a highly visible massage website, I’ve seen variations on these phishing themes dozens of times. With a little knowledge, you can watch out for these types of phishing scams and avoid them.
So, what to do when you receive an e-mail scam like this. Don’t respond! Delete it… Or, better yet, forward the e-mail to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov
Have you gotten scammed? Share your story in a reply!
Stay safe, bodyworkers!
Hamid : )
firstofnine.wordpress.com
transcendingtouch.com
psst… Your Tensegrity Blog now has a Facebook page! Like First of Nine on Facebook!
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Thanks for this post! I received one last week that was similar in approach, but way less detailed. The email was from a normal-sounding address (firstinitiallastname@gmail.com), and all they did was ask if I was currently accepting new clients. She closed with “Sincerely, Teresa” – no red flags at all; it sounded totally legit. I responded thinking it was a new client inquiry, obviously wanting her business. But then her response back was the kicker – saying something to the effect of, “Oh great, I’m Teresa with BlahBlahBlah Company, we specialize in getting you new clients with our advertising, yadda yadda yadda…please call me so we can get you set up with our amazing program…”.
People will do some sneaky things to get your business!
Jen…. Yeah, other variations on the phishing scams emerge, especially when you begin a conversation with them. Overjoyed you were mindful and didn’t let it get further! Thanks for reading First of Nine! :::high five!:::
Yes thank you for posting this! I too received something VERY similar months ago. I believe it was September 2011. A man claiming to be a doctor that would be coming to my area for business over atleast 2 months. He wanted to come in once a week or more and to pay for his services “via credit card” all prior to ever even meeting me. I just knew that was odd. And his typing was strange also. So glad that I didn’t fall for that too!
Ah, yes… the old “claiming to be a doctor out of the area and traveling for business” trick. Dastardly! Melissa… great job listening to your intuition!
Okay.. my favorite part is the grammar. Yeah, you might can a message like that from a non-native speaker. But then the person had the nerve to list a BRITISH address. They sure as hell won’t speak or write like that. LOL. The internets: here to trip us up, as a reminder to stay awake!!!
I just got the exact same email today and I’m not a massage therapist. I’m a psychic and yoga teacher – no one needs sessions every day.
Hello Hamid, Thanks for your post regarding this spam email. I took your advice and reported it to the Feds before reporting it as spam to my email provider there by also deleting it. When I googled your suggested address for reporting spam I noticed that they had begun a new address to report spam as the old one has been overwhelmed with reports. It is SPAM@UCE.GOV. Thanks again for your post.
Hi Hamid, thank you for opening my eyes.. I am new in the business and I am Italian. which means that it is difficult for me to read behind the line and see the difference between a genuine request and a dodgy one. Today I have received the same email as you and I fell for it. I thought it was a great opportunity for me because it could have helped me to promote my new business. Now I feel so stupid… I just would like to understand why do they do that? What is their purpose?
Yes I received this today, word for word except Fred claims the theatre is in Cardiff UK. (I am some 300 miles away in Northern England). With an English sounding name his grammar and way of phrasing sounded decidedly odd so I knew it was a scam. Like you, I am a solo complementary therapist and healer. The old adage holds good – if it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true. Still, it is an amusing little scam compared with the plethora of finance based scams and phishing that appear in my mailbox every week.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! I got the exact same email verbatim this morning. I have an active website and often get appointment inqiries through the website. This did not come through the website at all. I recently found my full business information on a website called Mantra (full address, phone number, everything was listed, and I never contacted this site!). When I called them, they informed me that my information was probably made available through Dun and Bradstreet. Why, I don’t know, I too am a single MT practitioner and have no idea how this oddball got my information. Strange they seem to be singling out the healing profession though… stay safe everyone!
Interesting that you posted this today as I got an unusual email this morning and didn’t know what to make of it. I’m hoping you or someone else reading this can offer some insights or experience with this website. The letter reads,
Hi Heidi,
One of your satisfied client referred you to us and we’ll be featuring your ad free on our site.
Please send us a link to an existing online ad that you like us to use or email us photo
and content for us to format nicely.
You can also add it directly to our site.
Regards
Laura McDonnald
Referral Services
Timepon.com
“
I’ve gotten these emails several times, and always delete them. Another similar scam you may encounter is emails from companies claiming they can get you first on Google in search engine optimization, but when you google THEM, you get nothing. Am I really supposed to believe that they can get me first on Google, when they can’t even get themselves there? My advice is to delete any email that is not specific, or sounds at all scam-like. Hamid is right when he says not to reply, not even with a “please remove me” request. They will know they have a valid email address, and you’ll really start becoming a spam-magnet then.
I used to answer these scams, and even received a check once, which if cashed then bounces back and you’re out the money. If anyone inquires about booking ahead for travel, paying in advance, etc. I tell them to call when they are in town and pay when they receive the session. It seems that they play a numbers game, looking for the naive newbie to fall for this. I wonder why they don’t get an English tutor to repair the grammar problems that are so prevalent and odd.
Fortunately, I did not cash the check if you are wondering!
I received 2 emails kind of like this. The first was a dr from Ireland and I think the other was from England. I didn’t think it was a scam at first and was excited for new business. I was talking to a friend about it and they got me thinking. It was totally a scam, luckily I was smart and trusted my instincts. Thanks for the heads up though, very helpful.
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Yes the scams are getting harder to detect and MT want to believe that they will be getting a ‘windfall’ of money and clients. I have a collection of the scams on http://massagepracticebuilder.com/massage-therapists-beware-email-scams/
Hmmm, I think I may have had one of the originals of these spammers. I don’t remember the wording, as it was in the nineties. It was someone saying a dancer was going to be coming here for at least a month and would like massage and would they come to me or could I go to them, and could I recommend a nearby hotel. They would send me a check and would get back the difference. Well, needless to say, I told them that she could pay when she was here and recommended a hotel, like a good do-bee. They actually sent me a check, which looked quite good. I brought it to my bank that had my business account and asked them to please make sure that they put a hold on it, as I was somewhat suspicious of it. They did, of course. And, of course, it was fraudulent. They put a freeze on my entire account. Isn’t that interesting, as I was the one who requested the hold? Anyway there was not all that much money in the account, so it did not hurt me, when they froze it. The check was quite real looking, but the bank, of course, knew that it was not real. The interesting thing to me was that the scammer must have been really new at this, because he/she got nothing out of it … just the fun of the challenge, I guess. It certainly jaded me about anything coming in e-mails about my practice.
Thanks, Hamid, for the spam e-mail address. I never knew what to do with these things before.
Take care.
I have been in this business for 20+ years and received my first scam email several months ago. At first I fell for it and emailed back. But then remembered hearing about these types of scams. Emailed back and told them to call when they arrived and to pay at time of service. email address disappeared after that.
I’m wondering if anyone has ever received anything similar via phone calls from Blocked numbers? I have a private practice and received a call today, and as I spoke to the gentleman, who said he was coming to town with his wife and was open to whatever my specialty was, some of his words were eerily similar to these emails I’ve been hearing about. The conversation turned weird and I got the feeling in my gut that he was alluding to something more than just massage for them (if you know what I mean). Then as we spoke, he told me to check my email- he sent me pictures of supposedly him and his wife- and the woman was naked on a beach. I very quickly got off the phone, then went to a friend who works a few blocks away later in the day. She knew who I was talking about as she had talked to him last week at length. He then called her while I was there with her- same man! We went to the email he had sent her of ‘him & his wife’- same email address, same first names, completely different people. Has anyone had a similar experience or heard of something like this? We’re deciding if we should contact police (as he explicitly had said he was looking for it to be a sexual experience when they spoke last week) or report it to the FTC. We’re both pretty creeped out and want to make sure we contact the proper authorities.
I would contact the police without hesitation!! Better safe than sorry since they have your contact info! Did you maybe catch their number on caller I.D.? Save the emails too.
Just recieved this one today in my inbox,
Good day, I hope this mail met you in good condition; I am Dr. Fredrick Brooke, the Welfare Manager, Apex Reality Group. I will like to make inquiries and availability on your services for May 29th, 30th, 31st 2012. Some of my delegates need your service in sessions. Kindly send me your SERVICE MENU or your catalogue for them to choose which of your services is preferred.
Also I will like to know the number of person that can receive your service per day and also to confirm your best time, because they will like to come in the morning. Likewise, I want you to know my term of payment is via credit card to cover your service.
I will appreciate it if you could get back to me in time with substantial Information regarding my request by attaching or sending me the SERVICE MENU and likewise confirm my mode of payment. I. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely
Fredrick Brooke
Welfare Manager
Apex Realty Group
2330 6th Avenue, Whitehorse,
Yukon, Y1A 1K1. Canada.
Tel: (616)419-8088 (SMS & Calls)
I got very same letter.
I live in Thailand and have a major Thai Massage website which gets quite a bit of traffic, so I am easy to find. Sometimes I get inquiries from supposed spa owners who want me to help them find Thai women to work as therapists in their spa (outside of Thailand). I have a long list of questions which I send them to determine if they are legit or not. Quite a few of them were clearly not legit. There is a scam going on that involves tricking Thai women into thinking they will get a well paid Thai Massage job abroad, but then when they get there, their passport is taken away and they are basically forced to work as prostitutes. When those “spa owners” get my list of questions, I never hear from them again.
We received the very same email. I’ve also had 3 follow up emails. Wanting 5 people in for services and 3 days. Weird.
I operate a bed and breakfast, actually IN Whitehorse, Yukon. A friend who is new to the B&B business but who also operates an “esthetics” business asked me if I thought the email was bogus.
Here’s the email she received (who sends emails at 5:26 am?).
> From: Fredrick Brooke
> Date: 23 May, 2012 5:04:26 AM CDT
> Subject: Inquiry and Availability Of Your Service
>
> Hello,
>
> Good day, I hope this mail met you in good condition; I am Dr. Fredrick Brooke, the Welfare Manager, Apex Reality Group. I will like to make inquiries and availability on your services for June 20th, 21th, 22nd 2012. Some of my delegates need your service in sessions. Kindly send me your SERVICE MENU or your catalogue for them to choose which of your services is preferred.
> Also I will like to know the number of person that can receive your service per day and also to confirm your best time, because they will like to come in the morning. Likewise, I want you to know my term of payment is via credit card to cover your service.
> I will appreciate it if you could get back to me in time with substantial Information regarding my request by attaching or sending me the SERVICE MENU and likewise confirm my mode of payment. I. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
> Sincerely
> Fredrick Brooke
> Welfare Manager
> Apex Realty Group
> 2330 6th Avenue, Whitehorse,
> Yukon, Y1A 1K1. Canada.
> Tel: (616)419-8088 (SMS & Calls)
> Email: lordfredb1@cafuc.net
Here is my reply.
Yes.
1) All addresses on Sixth Avenue in Whitehorse start with a 6. so the address is phony.
2) The email host address, cafuc.net, is phony. (Try http://www.cafuc.net )
3) “Good day, I hope this mail met you in good condition; ” (Standard wording to sound polite, wrong verb tense)
4) “I am Dr. Fredrick Brooke” (Do you start emails with “I am”? The “Dr.” part is a dead giveaway.)
5) “the Welfare Manager,” (meant to sound impressive, I suppose, but what does it mean?)
6) “Apex Reality Group.” (reality?)
7) ” I will like (wrong verb tense) to make inquiries and (bad English) availability on your services”
8) “for June 20th, 21th, 22nd 2012.” (Short notice creates a sense of urgency.)
9) “Some of my delegates” (delegates? To what? The absence of an explanation is suspicious)
10) “need your service in sessions.” (Reality therapy, maybe…)
I couldn’t be bothered to keep going.
I then did some Googling and added:
11) I see this is a massage scam. I Googled the phone number, which looked odd. Area code 616 is in Michigan. He does not sound American.
List of area codes:http://www.bennetyee.org/ucsd-pages/area.html
12) See one of the Google results:
If it sounds odd, it probably is.
PLEASE edit my previous post. I accidentally left in the address of the colleague who wrote to me.
Thank you so much for your site! I was applying for jobs via craigslist.org and I do not know which one this went to but I received this email tonight. I reverse directoried this number and it was out of Michigan but he states he is in Washington. What made me look into this was that there is no New Hampshire, NH….New Hampshire is a state already and not a capital. The wording sounded off but I did not know if some people were just idiots and had no idea. Then came the cash up front offer which of course is a red flag. At last his contact phone number was for me to use as SMS only?? HA!
I started my searching and found your site, you mentioned all the red flags and when you reached the email address I knew I was right for not responding! He added a few numbers in it and made it legit?
Funny part? he used the Acme Washington address as his address! I found it pretty humorous myself!
From: Fredrick B
Sent: Saturday, June 2, 2012 6:04 AM
Subject: Requesting Mailing Info For Your CNA Application
Hello Amanda,
Good Morning, Thanks on your interest in the CNA position, I hope my reply isn’t too late. It’s my pleasure to have your response and I will be looking forward to reach a mutually and beneficial agreement with you. My immediate elder sister will be coming from New Hampshire, NH; and she will be moving on 7th of July 2012. She is 69 Years of age. 140lbs and 5.8ft. She speaks English fluently. We happily lived together before I moved for a contract reason. I really need a patience person to take over this Position. Your job is as follow; you will be checking on her at least 3-4 times weekly for proper care, to know about her well being and to monitor her health status, this would lead to effecting your medical ability. I am sure you should have some medical experience?
Requirement| Compensation and Work days
* You will be earning $320 weekly.
* Your working days are Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and sometime Saturdays.
* You will be driving her to the hospital for medical checkups when necessary (At least twice monthly) If you can’t drive, you will hire a car.
You are to schedule your convenient hours during the listed above days, which should not affect your regular jobs, since this will be a part time offer and if you would like to live with her in the house for other assistance that won’t be a problem. An estate agent has actually gotten an apartment for her in Medford OR, but according to the estate agent, the tenant who occupies the space would vacate the apartment before the end of the month, so my sister could pack in first Saturday in July.
You would be receiving your first week wages upfront via check and also you will assist with buying some medical supplies; like one touch basic machine, acu-check machine and test trips in any nearest pharmacy store around. Kindly advise with your physical address details below, so as to ensure delivery of payment and to assure my sister on your readiness and commitment..
Full Name: |Physical Address: | City: | State: | Zip Code: | Cell Phone:| Home Phone: |Gender: | Marital Status: | Present Job Status/Position
I am awaiting your prompt response with the above requested detail, and if you have any suggestion do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely
Fredrick Brooke
Welfare Officer
Apex Realty Group
2026 Valley Hwy
Acme WA
98220-9635
Tel: (517) 798-6771 (SMS preferred)
Email: Lordfredb112@usa.com
This evening I recieved a strange phone call from a number from Wisconson. Strange so I didnt answer it. I tried to call it back and got hung up on…..I believe they are connected.
Thank you so much – just got one of those emails – new format to me and just seemed weird – google search gave me your very helpful clarity fast – great – thats where the internet is so fab
Hi, we received this spam message today for the Jersey Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre.
Thought there was a coach load of people with Multiple Sclerosis who were travelling from the Yukon to holiday in Jersey, Channel Islands!
Is there a danger of your finacial banking details to be used for the credit card transaction to take place? If you can’t accept a credit card would the next request be for your bank details for a transfer of funds?
Anyway, this email has been dismissed as a con and attempt to subversely acquire your bankng details.
Good day, I hope this mail meets you in good condition; I am Gregory Cole, the Welfare Manager, Apex Reality Group. I will like to make inquiries and availability on your services for August 15th, 16th, 17th 2012. Some of my delegates need your service in sessions. Kindly send me your SERVICE MENU or your catalogue for them to choose which of your services is preferred.
Also I will like to know the number of person that can receive your service per day and also to confirm your best time, because they will like to come in the morning. Likewise, I want you to know my term of payment is via credit card to cover your service.
I will appreciate it if you could get back to me in time with substantial Information regarding my request by attaching or sending me the SERVICE MENU and likewise confirm my mode of payment. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Regards
Gregory Cole
Welfare Manager
Apex Realty Group
2330 6th Avenue, Whitehorse,
Yukon, Y1A 1K1. Canada.
Email: apex-reality@cafuc.net
My turn…I received the scam email today which goes like this:
From: F B [mailto:lordfredbk@cafuc.net]
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 12:44 AM
To: michael@michaelsmobilemassage.com
Subject: Inquiry and Availability Of Your Service
Hello,
Good day, I hope this mail met you in good condition; I am Dr. Fredrick Brooke, the Welfare Manager, Apex Reality Group. I will like to make inquiries and availability on your services for July 25th, 26th, 27nd 2012. Some of my delegates need your service in sessions. Kindly send me your SERVICE MENU or your catalogue for them to choose which of your services is preferred.
Also I will like to know the number of person that can receive your service per day and also to confirm your best time, because they will like to come in the morning. Likewise, I want you to know my term of payment is via credit card to cover your service.
I will appreciate it if you could get back to me in time with substantial Information regarding my request by attaching or sending me the SERVICE MENU and likewise confirm my mode of payment. I. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely
Fredrick Brooke
Welfare Manager
Apex Realty Group
2330 6th Avenue, Whitehorse,
Yukon, Y1A 1K1. Canada.
Tel: (616)419-8088 (SMS & Calls)
Email: lordfredbk@cafuc.net
Thank you for your blog on this email. I almost followed completely through with it. I just finished sending the email to the Federal Trade Commission email that you listed. Thanks for your effort to protect fellow workers.
No problem Rich… Happy to serve. : )
We live in South Africa and run a hotel. We received the same email from Frederick Brooke. We requested payment upfront and he supplied the credit card details. We received the sum of ZAR R58 000.00 for the services. This money went through on the credit card number he supplied. We processed the payment and remains to be seen if it appears in our bank. Update to follow 🙂
Well, do keep us updated. : )
Hi everyone, here is the latest one for all of you to look out for.
Hello,
Good day, I trust that this mail finds you well; I am Mr. Brooke Fredrick, the Welfare Manager, Bravura Inc. I will like to make inquiries and availability for November 7th, 8th, 9th 2012. Some of my delegates need your service. Kindly send me your brochour or catalogue for them to choose which of your services is preferred.
Also I will like to know the number of person you can accomodate and also to confirm the check inn time, because they will like to check inn in the morning. Likewise, I want you to know my term of payment is via credit card to cover your service.
I will appreciate it if you could get back to me in time with substantial Information regarding my request by attaching or sending me the SERVICE MENU and likewise confirm my mode of payment. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely
Brooke Fredrick
Welfare Manager
Bravura Inc
2330 6th Avenue, Whitehorse,
Yukon, Y1A 1K1. Canada.
Tel: (517) 798-6771 (SMS & Calls)
Email: b_fred2@yahoo.com.ph
Thanks for keeping an alert eye out, Jonathan!
I received a version of this just today. “Dr. Fredrick Brooke” is now “Brooke Fredrick” and apparently affiliated with “Bravura, Inc.” which, when googled, has a website which is “under construction” and unavailable. Now, isn’t that a coincidence???
2. An address in Canada but a USA phone number, as there is no international code. The area code is somewhere in Michigan.
Find the setting in your e-mail to show all details of the incoming e-mail. This shows the path of all the ISPs the message traveled through. Also, it usually shows a different originating e-mail address than the one provided in the text.
I copy these with all of this identifying info and paste it into a complaint form on the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov). Then, I reply to the e-mail, tell them they’ve been reported to the FBI and wish them a good day. They are few and far between in my inbox! 😀
Thanks for keeping an eye out!
I received same/similar version late last night as well.
My scam arrived today, but he was claiming to be from Canada and used a phone exchange from Michigan! Thanks for posting this!
Yet another version of a scam! Thanks for commenting Brenda!
My partner and I stumbled over here different web page and
thought I may as well check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you.
Look forward to going over your web page for a second time.
It is surely an honor… Thanks for stopping on by… I should have a new article our quite soon. Hello from Portland!
Hi there! We received the same one today. I have also received tons of emails like this. Last time I followed through with the entire scam and got a mastercard credit card number. Then I called Mastercard in the U.S. Because it was a UK mastercard, they told me to call england, which I was not planning on doing on my dime. It seems Mastercard didn’t really care that I had a stolen credit card number!
Omg. Thank goodness for this wesite. I also receiced an email, but this time the person got my name from career builders. Thank goodness i did not have my personal info attached to my resume. It was the same email Amanda got in reference to a CNA position. The person name is George Winyard from Apex reality. I since deleted my resume from all websites. Be careful not to attach any personal info to your resume.
Efeseke-
Good advice! Stay safe out there!