Another version of the scam:

My name is CANDY JAMES.My wife ROMEO and i are planning to have our wedding on
November 26th 2006 at St Luke's Church Ruscoe Road London E16 1JB.
I am looking for the best photographer who will come and snapshot on the D-day
and when i came across your advert i was impressed.Let me know your charges for
your required services if you are to work for at most 6 Hours on that day.We
want about 150 copies of different photos in both black and white and in
coloured both in the church and reception and of both the bride and the
bridegroom,their parents,the officiating ministers and our guests.We will want
you to work for at least 6 Hours at the occasion and if you are out of
london,we will pay the transportation charges to and from the party venue so
indicate in your email if you are out of london, and state what it will costs
either via Plane or through Car transport to london,and what amount you will
receive working for 6 hours at the occasion.Also,we will have the photographs
snapped at the wedding forwarded to the Publisher of a Magazine Company in
U.S.A so they could feature it in their celebrity journal.And an
overdfrat will be issued out to you that will include magazine company
funds,which you will help us transfer the fund to them via western union so
that they cab publish it on magazine,so can i have your FULL
NAME,ADDRESS,CONTACT PHONE NUMBER,STUDIO PHONE NUMBER AND ZIP CODES so that the
payment will be issued out to you is that okay.Hope to read back from you.
Candy james

I have just received what looks like an invoice this morning from
'International Business and Trade Directory' aka 'United Media'
they want £398.20 to enter my name, address phone number and website address in their directory, I have never heard of them before but after a quick search on the net found that Plymouth trading standards have.
http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/...
they say 'Such unsolicited demands for payment should be ignored'

You have been warned :0

I've had several like the one below. All sound very fishy, calim to be from John Smith or similar but very poor english.

"Hello am mcduff john by name am interested in booking
you for my upcoming wedding photographer which will
held on 24th november 2006 at
28, Buckingham Rd,
Bletchley, Buckinghamshire,
Hello am mcduff john by name am interested in booking
you for my upcoming wedding photographer which will
held on 24th november 2006 at
28, Buckingham Rd,
Bletchley, Buckinghamshire,
MK3 5HL
i will like you to tell me the price for 7hours
coverage for both reception and the church activities
so that i can inform my inlaw who want's to pay for
the photographer and the wedding planner i will be
expecting your immidiate reply very soon thanks for
your co operation john.
i will like you to tell me the price for 7hours
coverage for both reception and the church activities
so that i can inform my inlaw who want's to pay for
the photographer and the wedding planner i will be
expecting your immidiate reply very soon thanks for
your co operation john."

I should say that the road that the address is on is very near to me and is mainly private houses and I'm not aware of a wedding venue on that road.

Sorry folks, the message on my post got duplicated somehow.

Yet another

Good day,
I am Mr juan pablo from oxfordshire UK i am getting married to Miss Helen Christy next month on the 27 0f nov 2006 at
Paramount Imperial Hotel
North Promenade North Shore
Blackpool Lancashire
FY1 2HB
and i needed a special photographer who will take a place at the event next month i will like to know all what it will cost you to get to my location here and the actual amount to take a covarage of 7hour from the chucrh to the recption i really need to know this so that i can contact my father in-law about this cos he his the one paying for this coverage await your response immedaitely.
Thanks & God bless
Mr juan pablo.

I get these types of email at least once a week and the English is always appauling ...obviously these are an extremely amature attempt at a scam and pretty easy to spot. Hopefully no one takes them seriously.

Something you might want to let members know about - I had an email from a
chap proposing to book me for my top service for wedding photography. He
said he was booked at a well known Kent Hotel and needed to quickly book a
photographer as he had been let down.

I accepted this at face value at first and responded trying to make an
appointment to sign a contract but he wanted to just send a deposit via a
cheque and was a bit evasive about appointments. Then came the con - As his
father was paying for the photographer and party planner he had been left
one cheque while his father was away to pay both. He would send me the
cheque and I could then reimburse him or the party planner the balance via
western union. Could he have my bank details.

At this point I knew it was a con and phoned the hotel to check the dates he
had supplied - they knew nothing of him and had had other calls form
photographers that day asking the same thing. It's pointless trying to catch
these people as the email address used was an AOL address and the criminal
was probably in an internet cafe somewhere, possibly even abroad if they
expected money via Western Union.

Anyway, thought you might like to add the warning of this doing the rounds
to other members.

HI

Yes we had the same sort of email. Ignored it but was interested from these messages to hear how the con worked. We used to just have to decide wether a call was from a real bride or another photographer checking prices. How times have changed

stew

Hello,
Good day to you, Am clipsleely from united state ,I will be coming over to the united kingdom in Novermber for our third year wedding anniversary on the 28 November 2006,
Am contacting you because I will need your service on the occasion day as our photographer for just 3 hours between (9am to 12pm) at DAY IN Oxford CITY 24 MAIDCROFFT ROAD OXFORD OX4 3EN, United kingdom.
However I want you to take the pictures of me and my wife together and also both of us and the invited guests as well,we've reduced the number of pictures needed to 50 peices for the day, the sizes really needed are: 5"X7",12"x18" and 16"x24 and all other types of wedding photographs that you can take with your experience,portrait for myself and my wife is ok,some individuals,and also group pictures. I hope with your little or much experience you will be able to think,take our memorable picture a glittering one.I want the pictures total cost to be exactly or below 800.00pounds that we budgeted for your service on the day.
Note the amount budgeted does not include your travelling or your transport cost as that will be taken care of separately.
I will need your total cost to be charge promptly.
thanks
clips and hisfamily

I've also had one of these emails but luckily, someone else had warned me about them!

At this point I knew it was a con and phoned the hotel to check the dates he
had supplied - they knew nothing of him and had had other calls form
photographers that day asking the same thing. It's pointless trying to catch
these people as the email address used was an AOL address and the criminal
was probably in an internet cafe somewhere, possibly even abroad if they
expected money via Western Union.

Anyway, thought you might like to add the warning of this doing the rounds
to other members.

Come Visit our hotels in blackpool england............

<a href=\'http://www.hotels-blackpool... title='Blackpool Hotels'>Hotels-Blackpool.com</a>

http://www.hotels-blackpool...

Thanks

thought you might like to read this one and warn others.
I sent on an email as I was available for date, but said I would
forward costings later today. In the meantime I ran the venue to find I was the fifth photographer checking out this hoax. Someone I believe has been burned to the tune of a thousand euros, after recieving an over payment of deposit and sending back the balance!
As if we don't have enough on our plate at the moment.

On average I recieve 10 of these each week asking for different thing from wedding to commercial work. The latest as well is to hit via ebay, where you are sent what looks to be an offical email from ebay over a dispute for an item if you reply and enter your detals to log in then they have your details and can carry out fraud in your name. Something to be aware of as the web address always look the same. If in doubt log into ebay and check your messages from a new window."

More Scams:

Hello,
I am Mrs hellen,my son,SMITH want to mark his 10th year birthday,so i want you to come and take the photoraph job,so i want you to getback to me if you are free for that day which is coming up on the 6TH OF May.kindly let me know the total cost of the duration of one day and get back to me asap bcos i want to make the preparation down.

Thanks

---------------------------------------

I am Mr Elvis Smith.my son is having a special event(Wedding) in London by 12th May this year 2007 and i would like a photographer to cover the event.i want just simple shoot.below is the address where the wedding will be taking place and some information you needed to know,the address where is the wedding has been changes so here is the new one.

---------------------------------------

I am Mary Anderson, my son, John want to mark his 10th year birthday,so i want you to come and take the photoraphy job,so i want you to get back to me if you are free for that day which is coming up on the Wednesday 6th June .. I look forward to a big party for him for his 10th birthday..The party should start at about 1pm and should last for just about 5hrs..You will be taking about 200 shots in total and they will all be in an Album (a real leather handmade binding OR leather spicer haldfield avanta album about 200 pictures 6x4 ) ...Not too worry about the distance , i know you can give me the best and i want the best and will also pay to get the best... kindly let me know the total cost plus transport expenses for the duration of one day and get back to me asap bcos i will want to make all neccessary preparation done asap..The party address is below....(here's my new emails id)i lost my former id, so i will need you to get back to me with the final cost plus all expenses ok and contact address... sorry for any incovinences..Thanksv

Yakov Faytlin:

I got that massage and deleted immediatly,becouse it smells,like scam.
Good day, i came across your advert at http://www.swpp.co.uk. Would be requiring your services in the United state. Will like to know your qualifications before introducing you to the company proper.

I am sending you this e-mail on behalf of raw-photography (http://www.raw-photography....). You can surf through their website to know more about the company .

With regards to the new innovation that will bring about the extention of the company which is based in the Uk to the United States, your service will be highly required. Do get back to me if you are interested so i can link you with the company direct. I am more like an agent getting professional photographers for the company whenever they need one. This is due to my excellent performance and good records with the company. Will be waiting to hear back from you.
Regards

Ruth Leach:

Hello,

I am Mary Anderson, my son, John want to mark his 10th year
birthday,so i want you to come and take the photoraphy job,so i want
you to get back to me if you are free for that day which is coming up
on the Wednesday 6th June .. I look forward to a big party for him for
his 10th birthday..The party should start at about 1pm and should last
for just about 5hrs..You will be taking about 200 shots in total and
they will all be in an Album ... kindly let me know the total cost plus
expenses of the duration of one day and get back to me asap bcos i will
want to make all neccessary preparation done asap..The party address is below.
Thanks...

Mary..
contact number:- 07024031921
stafford street
DE142QU
Uk

This is a very popular one at the moment:

Hello,
I am Susan Harrison. My son, John want to have his 16th year birthday celebrated, and i'm requesting i want you to get back to me if you will be available for that day which is coming up on the 17th of May .. I look forward to a big party for him for his 16th birthday..The party should start at about 12:00 noon and should end at about 6:00pm..You will be
taking about 250 shots in total and they will all be in an Album ... kindly let me know the total cost plus your transport expenses for the duration of one day and get back to me asap bcos i will want to make all neccessary preparation done asap.. The party address is below. You can call my husband for more information later in the evening on this number........07024021561
Thanks...
Susan...
stafford street
DE142QU
UK

Diane Mason Wrote:

Interesting to see that you are getting the same bogus solicitations in the UK,. All the ones I receive here in the US say they are from people living in the UK and are coming here for some reason or another. The grammer is always a dead giveaway.

Una Armstrong Wrote:

Am I glad I read the above. I nearly fell into the trap. I am just starting off and they had me convinced. Same storey, I want the best, you. Got you from SWWP. Its my sons naming party. How much for 100 6x4 photos for 5 hours. I will also pay your travelling expenses. Unfortunately replied to their e mail. Last e mail today, "I will send you on a cheque in excess of your requirement. Please take out your amount and pay our party planners"...

Thanks for the warning.