Event Photography Email

[Cajungaltx]

Okay - 4 people have asked me about it - so I'm assuming most of you are probably getting the same email:

Subject: EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY!!!

hello,

good day..how r u today?..I saw your contact email on the Texas photographers directory and wanted to know more about you and if you will be able to handle proceedings as event photographer at my wedding planned for December 5 in Texas.You can reply to this email as soon as possible if interested....and I will gladly provide more information about the event

thanks
Janet==


====================================

My assumption is - it's a spam email of some type - or someone is REALLY price shopping.

[tessai4]

Yep...I was hit with it as well. Not sure what to make of it...o well huh.



Tessai4

[Kalrog]

I'm offended now I think. I did NOT get this email. :)

[Maggie Baldwin]

I was left out, too, but then I don't have the rating the rest of you have...nice to be almost anonymous!

[S-Man]

With that many exclamation marks it might be Elaine Bennis...

[bondarnes]

Another Nigerian scam.

[toverman]

If someone can't spell, I wonder if they can write my name well enough on the rubber check!

[dlcurrey]

I was preparing to post a similar email. Glad to find that I was not the only one who received this scam.

Just to be sure, (and, being an inquisitive auditor in my day job) after I got the first email, I sent a reply email indicating thatI would be interested in talking with the sender to see what they had in mind. I also asked just where the venue was located. The reply came back as follows:

Hello Dave,

Good to read from you , we require your services in the photography of our wedding and we choose you to have our wedding captured after looking at your credentials , we have decided to have the wedding ceremony and reception at the same venue . though we are yet to settle for one as we are still holding talks with many of them(we would let you know the chosen venue as soon as we have settled with one),the wedding should take place on 5th of December 2009 at 2.30pm
local time.We have decided to have our Civil wedding in the US and
we do not want something elaborate and too expensive(not too exposed)which would attract small size family members,friends,business partners and associates from within and outside the US numbering about 100 guests.

i would like to give you a brief introduction about the couples you about working with ...i am Miss Janet Davidson 29 year of age i am a project consultant while my fiancee is Mattew Ferguson 36year he is an oil merchant we both reside in US but We are currently out of town on a holiday visit to my fiancee;s homeland in Hawaii and also have fun too and we want necessary arrangement done before our arrival .. we have choose you as our event photographer due to your response from our ad... and we are expecting the best of your ability ....We appreciate the short notice but this is largely due to the fact that we have been undecided for a while and only just agreed on terms.So we think we should make it real and not allow it slip up.i was unable open the price list packges ..iwould want you to list out for me for to see ...


I have some questions which i would like you to give us some answers,please pardon me for the many questions but our wedding day is ssupposed to be a day to be remembered for many years to come.I hope you understand.

1)Can you let me know the different packages of varying time length and cost so that we can choose from and be withiin our budget and needs?

2)Will you be only photographer,coming with more people(giving an extra charge) or are you just the Manager?

3)Will we be responsible for your travel expenses to the venue ?if so,how much would it be and you can add it to the price ? Actually we have decided to have the wedding ceremony and reception at the same venue and its in-state so I wasnt sure if travel expenses will be added..


4)I will also like to have some information about you..as follows

Full name...
Full Address...

so i can have that saved down so payment can be made accordingly...gonna be having a check mailed to you as payment as soon as we have this all figured out ,ok?

Please be assured of our open-mindedness in our resolution to work with you.Also if there is anything we have not included to make this day a memorable one,please feel free to let us know as we
require alot of your expertise and professionalism.

Once i hear from you in this regards,we can work a clear payment schedule and get an itemized invoice/quote for my approval so that i can arrange for your funds as time is not on our side at all.

Please do get back to me in earnest with my questions and concerns.

I am anxiously awaiting your response. Thank you sincerely and God bless Janet&Matt

Now, I am more certain than ever that this is a scam.

Dave

[Truckman]

Originally Posted by bondarnes

Another Nigerian scam.

I find it helpful to let my mind read such emails in the voice of Abu from "The Simpsons"......Ben

[ngoduyviet]

I can one up you guys on the scam. I received a bunch of voice mail from a very heavily accented English woman wanting me to do some "sexy" engagement for her. She'll be flying in town from Maine and other US states next week :)

The number was never in service when I called back, and caller id never showed, nor answered when I picked up so I let it go to my voice mail. Must be a new direction for those scammers now with all the new voice services like Skypes.

[janikphoto]

Dave, you are correct in calling this one a scam. you can tell that it is NOT written by a US resident or a Hawaiian-born US resident. There are too many things written like a European or African resident. The dates are done "5th of December 2009" while Americans type December 5th 2009. The term holiday vs vacation?!? Who in the USA uses holiday, unless it is Christmas, Easter, etc? There are other clues, but this just doesn't add up.

[snydersnapshots]

Dave--I really like the first sentence in their letter--it's a run-on sentence that seems like it will never stop.

If I were you, just to be on the safe side with the payments, I'd include my bank account and social security numbers so they can deposit the proceeds directly to your account.

Also, since they said the venue is in state but never said where, I would quote them a figure based on travel from Texarkana to El Paso. I think that's about as far as you can go in Texas, so it should cover the expenses to any venue in between.

I'll be anxious to see the photos--please let us know when you put them up!

Oh, and ask them when I'll be getting my money--I gave those nice people at the Nigerian Lottery my bank account information but they still haven't deposited "the sum of two million three hundred seventy four thousand eight hundred" dollars.

How stupid do these people think we are?