Wedding Cake Scam: Alex Wed Tina

Chapter Two...

It's the same cake photo from the 2008 scam. And we are back to the "God Bless" at the end of the email.

I know his email is a little long-winded (it is copied at the end of this post), but I can't help pointing out how the scam has evolved.

• The roses are specified to be made from gum paste so there is no question regarding where they will be coming from.
• The inscription has changed from "Happy Marriage Life" to "Alex Wed Tina."
• He says the stands are "already booked."
• He is very specific regarding the sizes of the cakes, however the first email says 270 guests and the requested cakes total 397.
• He remains specific, and almost word-for-word detail from 2008, regarding the shipping arrangements.

I've sent a reply asking where the wedding will be held, and expressing concern that he has to pay $950 for the transportation.  If he replies, I will tell him we charge $15 per slice (x 397) and see how he responds to a $7,000+ wedding cake.

This is so much fun!

Hello Mary,

Thanks for the swift reply to my order request and your concern as well, i want you to know that am very grateful, I will like you to bake me 5teir's of cake, the Cake Flavor should be White Chocolate Butter and Vanilla and the cake Filling Flavor should be Raspberry and Marble Vanilla or Strawberry, it should be decorated with roses as seen in the picture i attached ( in the picture the roses can be in gum paste, what you see on the side of the cake is a polka dot, and i will like the color of the polka dot to be pink color). And you should also have the cake covered in fondant or butter cream to feed 270 people ( I believe the fondant should make the journey), let inscription be writing on one of the cake as *Alex wed Tina*  and i want you to packaged it in a different cake boxes for pick up once its ready. concerning the cake stand's, i already booked it. the cake size should be 18" 16" 14" 12" 10".

I want the cake to be ready for pick up time 11 o clock A.M 26th of February 2010. and the shipper will be coming to pick them up for delivery to my wedding reception and i don't want you to be worried about the safety delivery of the cake. Regarding the shipping, I have a shipping agent who will be taking good care of the delivery consignments. The Shipping company will come for the pickup arrangement of the Cake at your location for  the pick up date and time. And as I have said, you don’t have anything to  worry about on the shipping of the cake it will be well secured and in a good condition on arriving the location of my wedding reception, the shipper will be coming with there refrigerator Van for the pick up and it will be ship under the fragile shipping insurance scheme, a friend of mine has used them before for a shipping consignment of this such and they are well secured, reliable and dependable. So I want you to calculate for me what will be the total cost of the cake order including the decoration plus tax if included, and also I want you to add $950 for the cost of the pick up and the shipping, so once I have your reply for the total I will remit my credit card for you to charge for the total cost. so that you can have the order book right away.

And once you have the order in progress, I will provide you the shipper information, and how you will get the shipping fee to the shipper as to confirm the pickup arrangement of the cake. I will offer you an extra $100 for taking care of my order properly and for any less stress you will go through for completing the transaction for me due to my absence. So plus do calculate altogether the total cost of the cake + decoration and tax + $950 for shipping charges, including the $100 am offering you.And get back to me with the total for all, so once i have the total cost i will remit my credit card for you to charge. And you should let me know the type of Credit Card you accept Visa or Master Card.

I will be waiting to have your reply for the total cost.

Thanks and God bless.

Alex Bryant.

Comments

[Marys Cakes]

Sorry to hear Alison, but thanks for letting us know its still going on. Hope you werent taken. The authorities we contacted way back when this first happened said they keep doing it because it works, which is really sad.

[Alison]

he is still at it just got this today as well.....
Hello Alison.

How are you doing thanks so much i got the message you sent to me i can't open the questionnaire form you sent to cause can you please send them to me as email plus i will like to know if you accept credit card and i will be paying in full with my card kindly get back to me when you have the chance.....

Alex Bryant...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: admcleod@telus.net
To: smith.davem@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Cake Request
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2012 12:06:22 -0700

Hello Dave,
I need more information on the event can you please fill out this questionaire and get it back to me asap. we require 20% deposit of the total for the cake and the remainder due the day of delivery.

Thanks
Alison McLeod
The Sassy Cakes Co.

From: Smith Dave
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 2:12 PM
To: admcleod@telus.net
Subject: Cake Request

Smith Dave has sent you a message using your contact form at: www.thesassycakescompany.com/contact

Senders email: smith.davem@hotmail.com

Hello,

My name is Smith Dave, I will like to know if you bake wedding cake, I would have call you to place my order via the phone. i have a little problem hearing on the phone. Kindly get back to me if you bake wedding cake so that i can provide you more information about the type of cake i want. also let me know your method of payment. I await your reply soon.

Regards.
Dave.

[Marys Cakes]

Yep, scam. They will offer a credit card payment, then ask you to charge them for the shipping on the card. Then wire the shipping to a third party. By then maybe youll find out the cards are stolen or fake and the money will be removed from your bank account, but you will be out the money you wired to the third party. Plus the cost of the cake, if you get so far as to buy the materials and make it.

[CakeandFlowers]

How does the scam work again? i just received an email from a person called Alex Bryant. It is a little strange as the wording he wants is "Happy Married" <-- ? and wedding is on the 24th of this month. Entered his email on google and came up with 'scam'.

[Marys Cakes]

They will be happy to pay you in advance by credit card. Ask them for a verifiable billing address and call your credit card processor. We found that the name and address provided by the customer did not match that for the card.

[Teri]

I think it's back again... I'm getting a new customer this time asking for 5 tiers Happy Married Life packed in boxes ready for pick up at the said date and time of October 15, 3 O'Clock PM. Most of my clients don't make such demands on their first contact with me, and I personally deliver all cakes. I said payment is due in full 2 weeks prior (which is standard with weddings!!) and we'll see what happens from there!

[Marys Cakes]

Sadly, the police told me (when this first happened to us) that he (or they) spend all day, every day, thinking up ways to scam people out of their money and that they depend on the greed of the victims for the scams to be successful. It must work because they wouldnt keep doing it otherwise.

[Lorelie Carvey]

I recieved a similar email. It freaked me out! Wy would he bother with such a scam?