A new spin on an old Scam? Wrap My Escalade!

[Logoadv]

Just got this email a few minutes ago through the contact form on our site. It is usually very good about blocking spam bots, so this is probably a real person manually entering the information on thousands of sign and wrap shop sites.

Name edgar brown
Phone Number (347) 073-4356
Email ebrownforyou25@gmail.com
Reason for Contact Vehicle Graphics
Comments Hello, Am EDGAR will like to know if you do vehicle wraps,letting? I got a Cadillac
​

Of course, this sounds mildly suspicious, as the area code is now where near close to us, but you never know. Replied back asking for more details. Specifics of the vehicle (year, make, model), what type of wrap (printed, color change, etc), and asked for pictures of the vehicle, because I didn't think a scammer would have photos handy.

Oddly, I got back an email within maybe a minute:

Appreciated your prompt response . I have attached the pictures of the car and the design for you also a color Red carbon fiber just to wrap bumper to bumper with the roof and leave the windows alone without tinting.Am ready to make the payment now with my credit card, Bcoz that is the only mode of payment i can use as of now as am in the hospital undergoing diagnosis for my forthcoming surgery as regards my hearing problem. I want you to know I've made arrangement with a tow guy that will have the car towed to your location and i want your shop address so i can forward to the tow guy after giving me quote, then i can have the car brought to you for the job after making payment. i look forward to read from you with an estimate and letting me know how long it's gonna take to finish the job.​

Attached were pictures of oracal 3d red carbon fiber vinyl, taken from I'm guessing an ebay listing, and a picture of the front of a 2007 Cadillac Escalade EXT (file name 2007 cadillac escalade ext 1.jpg / *2.jpg gave the model away)

Yikes! In the hospital for a hearing problem? Car needs to be towed to our shop? This poor guy sure has a lot of stuff going wrong and could use a hand. Lets look up his email address to see if there is a godfundme page or something so we can help out!

Huh... a link to a website designer complaining about the exact same name, email address and area code (different number though), trying to scam him out of $4000-8000 in website design work
A Warning for Website Designers

Obvious scam at this point, but can't decide if it is worth the time to mess with him for a day or two, tell him our credit card machine is down and we only take cash.

Has anyone else gotten this email? We get the "we want to buy 500 t-shirts' email every few weeks, but this is a first for me. I wonder if they would actually bring the truck by to get it wrapped, then try to reverse payment.

 

[HandsomeBob]

The scam here is the towing. They will want you to front the money to pay for the towing of the vehicle to your shop because the towing company they must have you use only accepts payment from the place to which they are towing the vehicle. Of course, they will give you a "perfectly good" credit card to charge. After you pay the vehicle just never arrives.

There will always be scams.

If you have the time you can string them along for some fun. Bet you that if you find out what the wrap text will be it will be something like "God loves the children" or something like that. This will prove they are genuine.

 

[Adirondack]

Here is the one I got last week that was very similar:

Hello,
I Am nerry I will like to know if you do vehicle wraps letting? I got a Cadillac Escalade 2013 and I want a full wraps done. Kindly back to me via email so that I can attach the pic of the car and the logo needed on it also let me know the kind of credit card you accept for payment​

I suspected it as a scam, but for grins, replied with the following, and surprise, surprise, never heard back:

For new customers, we need to see the car in person before we can complete an estimate, and require a check for 50% down prior to starting work. Please feel free to contact us during business hours at ....
​

Crickets... <never heard back>

 

[CSOCSO]

If anyone starts the conversation something like: I would like to know if you are the owner and do you do vehicle wraps ( i own a wrap shop. No one on earth asks me if I do vehicle wraps besides these scammers)
And they wanna know If I can take a payment over the phone or take a card payment and do I use square or paypal.

I don't waste my time with these scammers. In the beginning I did. Always the same car. Always the same story. How on earth can they same the same exact thing word to word?
I had one guy who told me lung cancer then changed the story to ear surgery.
lately these people only contact me via cellphone text!