Anyone ever scammed on a tree job?

[fearofpavement]

I've been having an interesting texting conversation with a potential customer. It has all the elements of a scam like you get on Craigslist. I don't have any ads anywhere other than on Facebook. However they want me to cut down all the trees in the front, back and sides of a house they bought close to me (within 15 miles or so)
They can't meet in person because they're sick. They apparently just bought the house and live out of town, blah blah. I looked up the house. It's for sale, not recently sold and at $339,900 not the kind of place someone with a serious lung disease would be acquiring. I texted them back and told them I would need a mailing address to send the quote to and that I also would need documents proving they owned the property since they don't reside there.... They provided an email. I responded I needed a postal address, not email. They responded with "I told you I was in the hospital". No, they hadn't mentioned that. (and does that make you not have a mailing address?)
Anyway, I responded with "I think you are attempting a scam, please find someone else to cut trees, nothing you stated sounds true."
Haven't heard back.

 

[fearofpavement]

I checked the area code. It's New York City.

 

[USMC615]

Lol...I like the way you 'cut' through that one!!

New York City?...Get the rope!!

 

[czar800]

That's interesting sounds like someone's trying to get revenge on ex husband or wife.

 

[jacob j.]

It would be difficult to run a scam on a tree job, since there are so many moving parts to one of those situations. However, an interesting "scam" here involved an angry ex-girlfriend posting an Ad on Craigslist stating that everything in a house and on a property that her ex owns is free for the taking since he was moving out of the country. She knew her ex would be gone for a few days on a rodeo trip. People from all over showed up and started stripping the house (even though it was locked) and started taking everything off the property, including a tractor and two trailers. Luckily the neighbors called the Sheriff and they came and started arresting people. In all, eight people were charged with theft/grand theft and the ex girlfriend was convicted on felony theft and conspiracy. The guy got most of his stuff back.

 

[fearofpavement]

I'm pretty sure this scam would have involved the person giving a cashiers check up front for x amount. They they need you to pay some of that money to so and so who's going to pave the driveway or something. So the $8000 job pays you $11,000 minus the $2000 you pay to someone else and you get a "free" pile of money. Then you find out that the check you paid is good but theirs wasn't. (bank checks take a long time to be determined as "rubber" compared to personal checks.)
Anyway you slice it, I don't think their intent was to have you actually cut the trees. This would all be a money thing.
I got suspicious early on because of the wording. It sounded so much like the many Nigerian scams I received over the years while working for a non-profit. Just a certain nuance to the West African scammers that can be picked up on pretty readily once you've read/dealt with several dozens.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Yeah, sounds like a snake in the woodpile on that deal.... I certainly wouldn't go dropping trees on private property without good and reasonable proof of ownership.

 

[DELETED (Struggle)]

I've bid and done trees for people I know done previous work for with out meeting them at home but they deal in buying rental properties and we have an established trust. I wouldn't work a deal like you said unless a person is on site and living there if no history with that person prior.


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[DELETED (Struggle)]

People are bored and I think get a huge kick out of trolling others into trouble for fun. Just think of what they could accomplish if they could use that energy towards a real careers


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[sawfun]

Maybe they wanted you to cut it and they come for free firewood. Anyway, no proof of land ownership or legal control, no way I'd cut a thing. You did well with that smell.

 

[pro94lt]

They text me literally every single day of my life... sometimes twice a day...

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I try to stay off CL most of the time. Ebay is getting their share of scammers also..

 

[2manyhounds]

Been bit on a couple little ones, you can read people pretty good after you deal with enough, and if it sounds to good to be true it probably is. Best bet, work a guaranteed 40, pick up 2 small jobs every weekend and roll it in. $350 tree don't take long, $1000 trees take multiple people or all day

 

[Ryan Browne]

@fearofpavement, you read that one exactly right. It's a check kiting scam, just like you describe. They send you a cashier's check but"accidentally" write it for too much and need you to mail the balance to another party.

 

[Philbert]

There was a whole thread in this scam, on AS. It involved credit cards.

Philbert

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/tree-work-credit-card-scam.291185/

 

[XP_Slinger]

Is there anything that is not being scammed these days? Frigin scumbags

 

[rocco490]

scammers suck! glad you caught on to it

 

[cobey]

scammers suck! glad you caught on to it

About the only time I'm nasty is
To scammers

 

[Stihl working Hard]

I've been having an interesting texting conversation with a potential customer. It has all the elements of a scam like you get on Craigslist. I don't have any ads anywhere other than on Facebook. However they want me to cut down all the trees in the front, back and sides of a house they bought close to me (within 15 miles or so)
They can't meet in person because they're sick. They apparently just bought the house and live out of town, blah blah. I looked up the house. It's for sale, not recently sold and at $339,900 not the kind of place someone with a serious lung disease would be acquiring. I texted them back and told them I would need a mailing address to send the quote to and that I also would need documents proving they owned the property since they don't reside there.... They provided an email. I responded I needed a postal address, not email. They responded with "I told you I was in the hospital". No, they hadn't mentioned that. (and does that make you not have a mailing address?)
Anyway, I responded with "I think you are attempting a scam, please find someone else to cut trees, nothing you stated sounds true."
Haven't heard back.

Those p--cks need to get a life don't they have anything else to do then waste everyone's time,glad you called them out on it

 

[Stihl working Hard]

@fearofpavement, you read that one exactly right. It's a check kiting scam, just like you describe. They send you a cashier's check but"accidentally" write it for too much and need you to mail the balance to another party.

They got more front then Macy's