Gig scam!! Check this out ... BEWARE!!

[tele_jas]

A buddy of mine in a different band around here (Springfield, Mo area) just sent me this:

Here's the latest scam that we were just involved in... some dude wrote and asked us to play a benefit gig in St. Louis Feb. 14th. He offered $1500 plus travel for 2 hours. We said ok.. he emailed several times with event details, how excited he was, etc.. then, he sends a money order.. for $5000! ($3500 too much) so, we call and ask him what's up? he's like.. "oh, sorry. my company mailed that out and the other part of that money order were supposed to be the other funds for this benefit. can you wire them back to me?" At first we were like, "sure". But the red flag went off when he wanted it sent to Latvia.. as in the country. Said he was there on business. So.. even though we'd already deposited it in the bank, we went back the next day and asked if they could contact the issuing bank (in Maine, according to the money order) and verify its authenticity. They called.. and it was counterfeit. Had we sent that money, we would have been liable for the $3500... and we would have loaded all our gear and drove to St. Louis. Isn't that a bunch of crap!? Still pisses us off. They are going to turn everything over to the authorities.. but I doubt anything gets done, since the guys are living outside the U.S. So.. beware if this should ever happen to you...

If he's out of the country, he may try this in other areas too.....Watch out!!

 

[chennie]

your buddy got lucky or at least say he was thinking what he was doing !

Lately I hear that this scam happens more and more. It was already in the news here. The story going along was that a woman sold her car and got too much money, way too much. Just like yopur buddy. Well she deposited it back, but offcourse she did not really own that money. Thus she git rid of her car and a lot of money. So this scam is not only applying with bands, but can be used in general everthing. So beware and think!

I too am once scammed, not like this and not that big amount of money, though still it was hard earned money that I would use for something better. Perhaps it made me a bit misantropic or at least really critic about these sort of isseus, especially on the internet, phones, everything without legal authenticy.

 

[exposeenmity]

Wow, that's bullshit. Glad your buddy dodged it. Fortuantely no one has tried to pull something like that on me and if they do, I'd hope that I'd be able to catch it.

 

[fredster]

Someone just tried to do that to me - wanted to send me a $4000 certified check for a $900 amp and I was to give the rest of the money to some shipping company. I told him only paypal and only through ebay, never heard from him again.

Man, it's tricky out there.

 

[no soul]

oldest trick in the book, but Ive never heard of it being used on bands, whats this world comming to?

 

[Brewski]

Yeah, the scam is familiar on Ebay or other internet ads for goods, but that's the first time I've seen it done for a gig. I'm glad your buddy didn't take the bait and head out on a road trip. That would've given a whole new meaning to death metal.